m Iffem 

iCK  No.  7' 


UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

renZ;r.t„tKrr  * rponsib,e  *• 

M *nS  0,,b°°te  «"> '«s„„s 

the  University.  Please  note ■ in  d,smissal  from 

torn  pages  and  lift  some  inks  ~S  n°t6S  ™y  result  in 

SErS 

http  ://w  ww.  I i bra  ry.  u i uc.ed  u/ca  ta!og/C°  ° option  at: 


MAD€  IN  U.$ 


HE  following  index  from  Spalding’s  latest  Catalogues 
will  give  an  idea  of  the  great  variety  of  Athletic 
Goods  manufactured  by  A.  G.  Spalding  & Bros. 


Ankle  Brace,  Skate 
Archery 
Ash  Bars 
Athletic  Library 
Attachments,  Chest  Waiqht 

Bag*  Bathing  Suit 
Bagri’f  Caddy 
Bag  s,  Cricket 
Bag-»»  Uniform 
Balls,  Base 
Balls,  Basket 
Ball  Cleaner,  Golf 
Balls,  CrickVt 
Balls,  Golf'  \ 

BaHs,  Playground 
Balls,  Squash  k 
Balls,  Tennis 
Bandages,- Elasti^ 

Bar  Bells 
Bar  Stalls 
Bars,  Parallel 
Bases,  Base  Ball 
Bases,  Indoor 
Basket  Ball  Wear 
Bathing  Suits 
Bats,  Base  Ball 
Bats,  Cricket 
Bats,  Indoor 
Batting  Cage,  Base  Ball 
Belts 

Bladders,  Basket  Ball 
Bladders*  Foot  Ball 
Bladders,  Striking  Bags 
Blades,  Fencing 
Blouses,  Umpire 
Boxing  Gloves 
Caddy  Badges 
Caps,  Base  Ball 
Caps,  University 
Caps,  Skull 
Center  Forks,  Iron 
Center  Straps,  Canvas 
Chest  Weights 
Coats,  Base  Ball 
Collars,  Swimming 
Combination  Uniforms 
Corks,  Running 
Cricket  Goods 
Croquet  Goods 
Cross  Bars 

"discus,  Olympic 
Discs,  Marking 
Discs,  Rubber  Golf 
Disks,  Striking  Bag 
Dumb  Bells 

Emblems 
Equestrian  Pold 
Exerciser,  Home 
Exhibition  Clubs 

Fencing  Sticks 
Field  Hockey 
Finger  Protection 
Flags,  College 
Flags,  Marking 
Foils,  Fencing 
Foot  Balls,  Association 
Foot  Balls,  Rugby 
Foot  Ball  Goal  Nets 
Foot  Ball  Timer 
Foul  Flags 


Gloves,  Base  Ball 

Gloves,  Cricket 

Gloves,  Fencing 

Gloves,  Golf 

Gloves,  Handball 

Gloves.  Hockey 

Glove  Softener 

Goals,  Basket  Ball 

Goal  Cage,  Polo 

Goals,  Foot  Ball 

Goals,  Hockey 

Golf  Clubs 

Golf  Counters 

Golfette 

Grips,  Athletic 

Grips,  Golf 

Guy  Ropes  and  Pegs 

Gymnasium,  Home 

Gymnasium  Board,  Home 

Hammers,  Athletic 

Handballs 

Handle  Cover,  Rubber 
Hangers  for  Indian  Clubs 
Hats,  University 
hJead  Harness 
He  alth  Pull 
Ho  b Nails 
Hock-ey  Slicks 
Hole  Cotter,  Golf 
Hole  Rim  Golf 
Horizontal  Pars 
Hurdles,  Safety' 

Indoor  Base  Ball- 
Indian  Clubs 
Inflaters,  Foot  Ball 
Inflaters,  Striking  l£flg 
Jackets,  Fencing 
Jackets,  Foot  Ball 
Jackets,  Swimming 
Jerseys 

Knee  Protectors 
Knickerbockers,  Foot  Ball 
Lace,  Foot  Bill 
Lanes  for  Sprints 
Lawn  Bowls 
Leg  Guards,  Cricket 
Leg  Guards,  Foot  Ball 
Leg  Guards,  Hockey 
Leg  Guards,  Polo 
Letters,  Embroidered 
Letters,  Woven 
Lockers,  Durand-Steel 
Mallet,  Cricket 
Markers,  Tennis 
Masks,  Base  Ball 
Masks,  Fencing 
Masks,  Nose 
Masseur,  Abdominal 
Mattresses 
Medicine  Balls 
Megaphones 
Mitts,  Base  Ball 
Mitts,  Handball 
Mitts,  Striking  Bag 
Mocassins 

Mouthpiece,  Foot  Ball 
Needle,  Lacing 
Nets,  Tennis 
Net,  Volley  Ball 
Numbers,  Competitors 


Pad,  Chamois,  Fencing 

Pads,  Foot  Ball 

Paint,  Golf 

Pants,  Base  Ball 

Pants,  Basket  Ball 

Pants,  Boys’  Knee 

Pants,  Foot  Ball 

Pants,  Hockey 

Pants,  Roller  Polo 

Pants,  Running 

Pistol,  Starter’s 

Plastrons,  Fencing 

Plates,  Base  Ball  Shoe 

Plates,  Home 

Plates,  Marking 

Plates,  Pitchers’  Box 

Plates,  Teeing 

Platforms,  Striking  Bag 

Poles,  Ski 

Poles,  Vaulting 

Polo,  Roller,  Goods 

Protector,  Abdomen 

Protector,  Elbow 

Protector,  .Polo 

Protection  for  Running  Shoes 

Pucks,  Hockey 

Push  Ball 

Pushers,  Chamois 

Puttees,  Golf 

8uantity  Prices 
uoits 

Racket  Covers 
Rackets,  Lawn  Tennis 
Racket  Presses 
Rackets  Restrung 
Rapiers 

Reels  for  Tennis  Posts 
Referees’  Horns 
Referees'  Whistle 
Rings,  Exercising 
Rings,  Swinging 
Rowing:  Machines 
Roque 

Scabbard's  fbr  Skates 
Score  Board,  Golf 
Score  Books,  Base  Ball 
Score  Books,  Basket  Ball 
Score  Books,  Cricket 
Score  Books,  CJolL 
Score  Books,  Tennis 
Scoring  Tablet:*,  Base  Ball 
Seven-Foot  ’e 
Shin  Guards,-,  sedation 
Sinn  Guards,  * agby 
ShhvGuards,  Hockey 
Shin  Guards,  Polo 
Shirts,  Base  Ball 
Shirts,  Basket  Ball 
Shirts,  Sleeveless 
Shoes,  Base  Ball 
Shoes,  Basket  Ball 
Shoes,  Bowling 
Shoes,  Cross  Country 
Shoes,  Cricket 
Shoes,  Fencing 
Shoes,  Foot  Ball,  Association 
Shoes,  Foot  Ball,  Rugby 
Shoes,  Golf 
Shoes,  Gymnasium 
Shoes,  Jumping 
Shoes,  Running 


Shoes,  Skating 
Shoes,  Squash 
Shoes,  Tennis 
Shot,  Indoor 
Shot,  Massage 
Skate  Bags 
Skates,  Hockey 
Skate  Holders 
Skates-,  Ice 
Skates,  Racing 
Skates,  Rink,  Ice 
Skate  Rollers 
Skates,  Roller 
Skates,  Tubular 
Skate  Straps 
Skis 

Sleeve  Bands,  College 
Slippers,  Bathing 
Snow  Shoes 
Squash  Goods 
Standards,  Vaulting 
Standards,  Volley  Ball 
Starters’  Pistol 
Steel  Cable 
Sticks,  Polo 
Stockings 
Stop  Boards 
Striking  Bags 
Studs,  Golf 
Stumps  and  Baits 
Suits,  Union,  Foot  Ball 
Supporters 
Supporters,  Ankle 
Supporters,  Wrist 
Suspensories 
Sweaters 
Swimming  Suits 
Swivel  Striking  Bags 
Swords,  Fencing 
Swords,  Duelling 
Tackling  Machine 
Take  off  Board 
Tapes,  Adhesive 
Tapes,  Marking 
Tapes,  Measuring 
Tees,  Golf 
Tennis  Posts 
Tether  Tennis 
Tights 
Toboggans 
Toboggan  Cushions 
Toboggan  Toe  Caps 
Toe  Boards 
Toques 

Trapeze,  Adjustable 
Trapeze,  Single 
Trousers,  Y.  M.  C.  A« 
Trunks,  Bathing 
Trunks,  Velvet 
Trunks,  Worsted 
Umpire  Indicator 
Uniforms,  Base  Ball 
Varnish  for  Gut 
Volley  Balls 
Water  Polo  Ball 
Wands,  Calisthenic 
Watches,  Stop 
Water  Wings 
Weights,  5&lb.  . 

Whistles,  Referees*  / 


Whitely  Exerciser  1 , 

Wrist  Machine  1/ 


miR?ndafig£ 

iCK  No.  752  1/3 
0 0 0 


MADE  IN  USA 


gteaa  ■ ■■  sea  =JQ  ■ ==  gas 

THE  following  index  from  Spalding’s  latest  Catalogues 
will  give  an  idea  of  the  great  variety  of  Athletic 
Goods  manufactured  by  A.  G.  Spalding  & Bros. 


Ankle  Brace,  Skate 
Archery 
Ash  Bars 
Athletic  Library 
Attachments,  Chest  ht 

Bag?  Bathing  Suit 
Bagi’>  Caddy 
Bag is « Cricket 
Bag'*.  Uniform 
Balls,  Base 
Balls,  gasket 
Ball  Cleaner,  Golf 
Balls,  Cricket 
Balls,  Golf'  \ 

Balls,  Playgr  ound 
Balls,  Squash 
Balls,  Tennis 
Bandages,- Elastic 
Bar  Bells 
Bar  Stalls 
Bars,  Parallel 
Bases,  Base  Ball 
Bases,  Indoor 
Basket  Ball  Wear 
Bathing  Suits 
Bats,  Base  Ball 
Bats,  Cricket 
Bats,  Indoor 
Batting  Cage,  Base  Ball 
Belts 

Bladders,  Basket  Ball 
Bladders,  Foot  Ball 
Bladders,  Striking  Bags 
Blades,  Fencing 
Blouses,  Umpire 
Boxing  Gloves 
Caddy  Badges 
Caps,  Base  Ball 
Caps,  University 
Caps,  Skull 
Center  Forks,  Iron 
Center  Straps,  Canvas 
Chest  Weights 
Coats,  Base  Ball 
Collars,  Swimming 
Combination  Uniforms 
Corks,  Running 
Cricket  Goods 
Croquet  Goods 
Cross  Bars 

discus,  Olympic 
Discs,  Marking 
Discs,  Rubber  Golf 
Disks,  Striking  Bag 
Dumb  Bells 

Emblems 
Equestrian  Pold 
Exerciser,  Home 
Exhibition  Clubs 

Fencing  Sticks 
Field  Hockey 
Finger  Protection 
Flags,  College 
Flags,  Marking 
Foils,  Fencing 
Fodt  Balls,  Association 
Foot  Balls,  Rugby 
Foot  Ball  Goal  Nets 
Foot  Ball  Timer 
Foul  Flags 


Gloves,  Base  Ball 

Gloves,  Cricket 

Gloves,  Fencing 

Gloves,  Golf 

Gloves,  Handball 

Gloves.  Hockey 

Glove  Softener 

Goals,  Basket  Ball 

Goal  Cage,  Polo 

Goals,  Foot  Ball 

Goals,  Hockey 

Golf  Clubs 

Golf  Counters 

Golfette 

Grips,  Athletic 

Grips,  Golf 

Guy  Ropes  and  Pegs 

Gymnasium,  Home 

Gymnasium  Board,  Home 

Hammers,  Athletic 

Handballs 

Handle  Cover,  Rubber 
Hangers  for  Indian  Clubs 
Hats,  University 
I/ead  Harness 
He  alth  Pull 
Hr  b Nails 
HocK'ey  Sticks 
Hole  Gutter,  Golf 
Hole  Rim  Golf 
Horizontal  Bars 
Hurdles,  Safety* 

Indoor  Base  Bali’ 

Indian  Clubs 
Inflaters,  Foot  Ball 
Inflaters,  Striking  ISitog 
Jackets,  Fencing 
Jackets,  Foot  Ball 
Jackets,  Swimming 
Jerseys 

Knee  Protectors 
Knickerbockers,  Foot  Ball 
Lace,  Foot  Bill 
Lanes  for  Sprints 
Lawn  Bowls 
Leg  Guards,  Crihket 
Leg  Guards,  Foot  Ball 
Leg  Guards,  Hockey 
Leg  Guards,  Polo 
Letters,  Embroidered 
Letters,  Woven 
Lockers,  Durand-Steel 
Mallet,  Cricket 
Markers,  Tenni3 
Masks,  Base  Ball 
Masks,  Fencing 
Masks,  Nose 
Masseur,  Abdominal 
Mattresses 
Medicine  Balls 
Megaphones 
Mitts,  Base  Ball 
Mitts,  Handball 
Mitts,  Striking  Bag 
Mocassins 

Mouthpiece,  Foot  Ball 
Needle,  Lacing 
Nets,  Tennis 
Net,  Volley  Ball 
Numbers,  Competitors 


Pad,  Chamois,  Fencing 

Pads,  Foot  Ball 

Paint,  Golf 

Pants,  Base  Ball 

Pants,  Basket  Ball 

Pants,  Boys’  Knee 

Pants,  Foot  Ball 

Pants,  Hockey 

Pants,  Roller  Polo 

Pants,  Running 

Pistol,  Starter’s 

Plastrons,  Fencing 

Plates,  Base  Ball  Shoe 

Plates,  Home 

Plates,  Marking 

Plates,  Pitchers’  Box 

Plates,  Teeing 

Platforms,  Striking  Bag 

Poles,  Ski 

Poles,  Vaulting 

Polo,  Roller,  Goods 

Protector,  Abdomen 

Protector,  Elbow 

Protector,  .Polo 

Protection  for  Running  Shoes 

Pucks,  Hockey 

Push  Ball 

Pushers,  Chamois 

Puttees,  Golf 

Quantity  Prices 
Quoits 

Racket  Covers 
Rackets,  Lawn  Tennis 
Racket  Presses 
Rackets  Restrung 
Rapiers 

Reels  for  Tennis  Posts 
Referees’  Horns 
Referees'  Whistle 
Rings,  Exercising 
Rings,  Swinging 
Rowing?  Machine* 

Roque 

Scabbards  for  Skates 

Score  Board,  Golf 

Score  Books,  Base  Ball 

Score  Books,  Basket  Ball 

Score  Books,  Cricket 

Score  Books,  GolL 

Score  Books,  Tennis 

Scoring  Tablets,  Base  Ball 

Seven-Foot  G ’e 

Shin  Guards,-,  sociation 

Sinn  Guards,  » ugby 

ShfrvGuards,  Hockey 

Shin  Guards,  Polo 

Shirts,  Base  Ball 

Shirts,  Basket  Ball 

Shirts,  Sleeveless 

Shoes,  Base  Ball 

Shoes,  Basket  Ball 

Shoes,  Bowling 

Shoes,  Cross  Country 

Shoes,  Cricket 

Shoes,  Fencing 

Shoes,  Foot  Ball,  Association 

Shoes,  Foot  Ball,  Rugby 

Shoes,  Golf 

Shoes,  Gymnasium 

Shoes,  Jumping 

Shoes,  Running 


Shoes,  Skating 
Shoes,  Squash 
Shoes,  Tennis 
Shot,  Indoor 
Shot,  Massage 
Skate  Bags 
Skates,  Hockey 
Skate  Holders 
Skates-,  Ice 
Skates,  Racing 
Skates,  Rink,  Ice 
Skate  Rollers 
Skates,  Roller 
Skates,  Tubular 
Skate  Straps 
Skis 

Sleeve  Bands,  College 
Slippers,  Bathing 
Snow  Shoes 
Squash  Goods 
Standards,  Vaulting 
Standards,  Volley  Ball 
Starters’  Pistol 
Steel  Cable 
Sticks,  Polo 
Stockings 
Stop  Boards 
Striking  Bags 
Studs,  Golf 
Stumps  and  Baits 
Suits,  Union,  Foot  Ball 
Supporters 
Supporters,  Ankle 
Supporters,  Wrist 
Suspensories 
Sweaters 
Swimming  Suits 
Swivel  Striking  Bags 
Swords,  Fencing 
Swords,  Duelling 


Tackling  Machine 
Take  off  Board 
Tapes,  Adhesive 
Tapes,  Marking 
Tapes,  Measuring 
Tees,  Golf 
Tennis  Posts 
Tether  Tennis 
Tights 
Toboggans 
Toboggan  Cushions 
Toboggan  Toe  Caps 
Toe  Boards 
Toques 

Trapeze,  Adjustable 
Trapeze,  Single 
Trousers,  Y.  M.  C.  A. 
Trunks,  Bathing 
Trunks,  Velvet 
Trunks,  Worsted 
Umpire  Indicator 
Uniforms,  Base  Ball 
Varnish  for  Gut 
Volley  Balls 
Water  Polo  Ball 
Wands,  Calisthenic 
Watches,  Stop 
Water  Wings 
Weights,  56-lb.  . 

Whistles,  Referees* 
Whitely  Exerciser 
Wrist  Machine 


THE  SPAUDING  TRADEMARK 

i/L  pROTECTs  PREVENTS  \k 
LW  THE  4 FRAUDULENT  f 1 
CONSUMER  SUBSTITUTION  ^9 


THE  SPALDING  TRADE-MARK 

PROTECTS  PREVENTS 
THE  4°  FRAUDULENT 
. CONSUMER  SUBSTITUTION 


JgOvTT.' 


The  Nondescript 
Manufacturer 
says  to  the 
Dealer: 


The  Substitute 
Dealer  says 
to  the  Con- 
sumer i 

“Why  pay  15  to  20  ■■  ITMI-SJI H9 1«  SH  "We  are  just  out 
per  cent,  more  for  ■mill  °*  Spalding 

SpaldingTrade  Marked  article  asked  for. 

Athletic  Goods,  when  I MARK  b.ut  here  is  .son?^* 

am  prepared  to  furnish *^ust  as  good* 
you  *Just as  good*  articIes^(Z®^B^j^3^at  25  Per  cent  less 
for  so  much  less  price?1 

■ Spalding  Cautions' the  Consumer 

td  make  proper  allowances  for  these  **Just  as  Good"  manufacturers ^and 
substitute-dealers*  statements,  but  see  to  It  that  the  Spaldl-4  Trade-Mark 
Is  on,  or  attached,  to  each  Spalding  Athletic  article,  * 

Trade-Mark  they  are  not  gennlne  Spalding  Goods, 


without  this 


We  are  prompted  to  issue  this  Caution  to  users  of  Spalding's  Athletic  Goods, 
for  the  reason  that  many  defective  articles  made  and  sold  by  these  *Just  as 
Good*  manufacturers  and  dealers  are  returned  to  us  as  defective  and  -un- 
satisfactory, and  which  the  consumer,  who  has  been  thus  deceived,  has  asked 
us>  ta  repair  or  replace  under  our  broad  Guarantee,  which  reads  as  follows: 

We  Guarantee  to  each  purchaser  of  an  article  hearing  the 
Spalding  Trade-Mark  that  such  article  will  give  satisfaction  and 
a reasonable  amount  of  service,  when  used  for  the  purpose  for  which 
It  was  intended  and  under  ordinary  conditions  and  fair  treatment- 
We  Agree  to  repair  or  replace  free  of  charge  any  such  article 
which  proves. defective  In  material  or  workmanship:  PROVIDED 
such  defective  article  Is  returned  to  us,  transportation  prepaid, 
during  the  season  In  which  It  was  purchased,  accompanied  by  the 
name,  address  and  a letter  from  Jhe  .user  explaining  the  claim. 


Beware  of  the  'Just  as  Good' manufacturer,  who  makes  "appearance*  first 
and  * Quality * secondary,  in 'order  to  deceive  the  dealer;  and  beware  of  the 
substitute-dealer,  who  completes  the  fraud  by  offering  the  consumer  the 
■Just  as  Good*  article  when  Spalding's  Goods  are  askecLfor,. 


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W-M-M-jaLW" M M. 


I 


SPALDING’S  ATHLETIC  LIBRARY 

Red  Cover  Series,  25c.  Blue  Cover  Series.  10c.  Green  Cover  Series..'  10c. 


Group  XV.  Gymnastics 

“ Blue  Cover  ” Series,  each  number  10c. 
No.  124  How  to  Become  a Gymnast 
No.  254  Barnjum  Bar  Bell  Drill 
No.  287  Fancy  Dumb  Bell  and  March- 
ing Drills 

“ Red  Cover  ” Series . each  number  25c. 
No.  14R.  Trapeze,  Long  Horse  and 
Rope  Exercises 

No.  34R.  Grading  of  Gym.  Exercises 
No.  40R.  Indoor  and  Outdoor  Gym- 
nastic Games 

No.  52R.  Pyramid  Building 
No.  56R.  Tumbling  for  Amateurs  and 
Ground  Tumbling 

No.  67R.  Exercises  on  the  Side  Horse; 

Exercises  on  Flying  Rings 
No.  68R.  Horizontal  Bar  Exercises ; 

Exercises  on  Parallel  Bars 


Group  XVI.  Home  Exercising 

" Blue  Cover  ” Series , e'ich  nu  fiber  10c . 
No.  161  Ten  Minutes’  Exercise  for 
No.  185  Hints  on  Health  [Busy  Men 
No.  325  Twenty-Minute  Exercises 

"Red  Cover”  Series,  eCch  number  25c . 
No.  7R.  Physical  Training  Simplified 
No.  9R.  How  to  Live  100  Years 
No.  23R.  Get  Well ; Keep  Well 
No.  33R.  Tensing  Exercises 
No.  51R.  285  Health  Answers 
No.  54R.  Medicine  Ball  Exercises, 
Indigestion  Treated  by  Gymnastics, 
Physical  Education  and  Hygiene 
No.  62R.  The  Care  of  the  Body 
No.  64R.  Muscle  Building  ; Health  by 
Muscular  Gymnastics 


Spalding  Score  Books,  Competitors’  Numbers,  Etc. 

BASE  BALL  SCORE  BOOKS. 

Made  in  three  styles — Morse  (Nos.  1,  3,  4,  5 and  M) ; A.  G.  Spalding  style 
(Nos.  2 and  S) ; John  B.  Foster  style  (No.  F).  The  Spalding  style  has 


diamond  shaped  spaces  for  scoring. 

POCKET  SIZE. 

No.  1.  Paper  cover,  Morse  style,  7 games Each  $0.20 

No.  2.  Board  cover,  Spalding  style,  22  games “ .50 

No.  3.  Board  cover,  Morse  style,  46  games “ 1.00 

No.  F.  Board  cover,  Foster  (reporters’)  style,  79  games “ 1.50 

No.  M.  Board  cover,  Morse  style,  79  games “ 1.50 

No.  S.  Board  cover,  Spalding  style,  79  games “ 1.50 

CLUB  SIZE. 

No.  4.  Morse  style,  8%xl0%  in.,  30  games Each  $2.00 

No.  5.  Morse  style,  8%xl0%  in.,  79  games “ 3.00 

Score  Cards,  1 game Dozen  .10 

BASKET  BALL  SCORE  BOOKS. 

No.  10.  Paper  cover,  10  games Each  $0.20 

No.  11.  Board  cover,  25  games “ .50 

No.  A.  Collegiate,  paper  cover,  10  games “ .20 

No.  B.  Collegiate,  board  cover,  25  games “ .50 

No.  W.  Women’s  Basket  Ball  Score  Book,  25  games **  .50 

TRACK  AND  FIELD.  TENNIS  AND  GOLF  SCORE  CARDS. 

No.  TF.  Olympic  Score  Card;  for  outdoor  and  indoor  track  and  field 

athletic  meets;  used  in  A.A.U.  championships Each  $0.05 

No.  H.  Tennis  Score  Card,  endorsed  by  leading  umpires;  used  in 
national  championships,  new  and  improved  design;  for  five 
sets:  in  two  colors Dozen  .75 


No.  L.  Golf  Score  Sheets;  used  in  ieading  tournaments;  size  22x28  in.; 

match  play  or  medal  play  (specify  which  is  wanted). Each  .30 
COMPETITORS’  NUMBERS. 

Used  in  A.A.U. , intercollegiate  and  interscholastic  championship  events. 
Made  up  in  sets  (1  to  50.  1 to  100,  etc.). 

Manila  paper Per  number  $0.02  Linen  backed Per  number  $0.12 

Letters,  A,  B,  C,  D,  etc.,  on  manila  paper,  for  relay  races.  .Per  letter  .05 
Any  of  the  above  mailed  postpaid  on  receipt  of  price. 
American  Sports  Publishing  Company*  45  Rose  St.,  New  Y ork 


mnv  f! 


*\ rut  i 


f*  RftjMj 

■'Uort 


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Tames  Braid.  Open  Champion. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

I. 

Beginners’  Wrong  Ideas  . 

. . . 4 

11. 

Method  of  Tuition  . 

. . . II 

III. 

Choosing  the  Clubs  . 

. 14 

IV. 

How  to  Grip  the  Club  . 

. 0 . 22 

V. 

Stance  and  Address  in  Driving 

. 28 

VI. 

The  Upward  Swing  in  Driving  . 

45 

VII. 

The  Top  of  the  Swing 

• 49 

VIII. 

The  Downward  Swing  . 

5i 

IX. 

Finishing  the  Stroke 

• 54 

X. 

The  Long  Ball  . 

. • . 58 

XI. 

Pulling  and  Slicing  „ 

. 69 

XII. 

Playing  in  a Wind 

72 

XIII. 

Brassey  Play 

. 74 

XIV. 

Play  with  Iron  Clubs 

79 

XV. 

Cleek  Shots  ..... 

- . 85 

XVI. 

The  Iron  ..... 

, - . 89 

XVII. 

The  Running-up  Shot 

0 91 

XVIII. 

The  Mashie 

94 

XIX. 

The  Niblick 

. . ■ . 98 

XX. 

Putting 

103 

XXI. 

Playing  the  Round  .... 

, 0 0 100 

ANNOUNCEMENT 


In  this  issue  of  Spalding’s  Athletic  Library,  we  publish  with 
the  consent  of  the  British  Sports  Publishing  Company,  Ltd.,  of 
London,  England,  their  copyrighted  book,  “Golf  Guide  and  How 
to  Play  Golf,,,  by  James  Braid,  Open  Champion  of  1905,  1906, 
1908  and  1910.  Braid's  book  has  had  an  enormous  sale  through- 
out Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent,  and  is  admitted  to  be  by 
golf  experts  the  best  book  of  its  kind  ever  published. 

“Golfing,"  the  leading  British  publication  on  the  game  of 
golf,  says  : 

“ Simply  and  straightforwardly  written,  Champion  Braid’s  book 
contains  more  solid  and  useful  information  to  the  square  inch 
than  you  will  find  in  nine  out  of  ten  treatises  on  golf  brought  out 
at  a much  higher  price.  Though  Braid  himself  would  probably 
be  the  first  man  to  disclaim  any  literary  style  for  his  little  effort, 
the  style  is  there,  nevertheless,  direct,  honest,  and  to  the  point, 
like  the  game  of  golf  played  by  the  man  who  wrote  it.  * * * It 
is  a plain  and  lucid  book  of  practical  instructions,  penned  without 
a suggestion  of  literary  frills,  and  illustrated  with  some  capital 
photographs  and  diagrams.’’ 

American  Sports  Publishing  Co. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library , 


i. 

BEGINNERS’  WRONG  IDEAS. 

When  a man  first  decides  that  he  will  devote  himself  to  the 
game  of  golf  he  has  generally  something  to  unlearn  at  the  very 
outset,  even  though  he  has  never  attempted  to  strike  a ball 
with  a driver  in  his  life.  In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  he  must 
abandon  all  his  preconceived  notions  about  the  game.  He 
must  realise  that  so  far  from  being  the  easy  thing  to  play  that 
it  seems  when  one  watches  a capable  exponent  driving  long 
balls  and  placing  short  shots  quite  near  to  the  hole  almost 
every  time,  it  is  an  exceedingly  difficult  thing,  and  that  pro- 
ficiency, even  in  the  case  of  the  most  athletic  and  adaptable 
persons,  is  only  to  be  acquired  as  the  result  of  years  of  the 
most  patient  and  painstaking  practice  and  of  the  most  careful 
thought  and  study  of  the  scientific  side  of  the  game.  No 
game  demands  more  scientific  accuracy  than  golf,  and  there 
is  no  game  in  which  shots  that  are  not  well  played  more 
surely  meet  with  their  just  punishment.  In  the  reverse  there 
is  no  game  in  which  small  degrees  of  skill  count  more  regu- 
larly in  favour  of  the  man  who  possesses  them.  The  things 
that  look  easiest  in  golf  are  generally  the  hardest,  and  it  some- 
times takes  a man  years  to  learn  properly  how  to  raise  his 
club  upwards  in  the  swing  back  before  striking  the  ball — in 
fact  some  players  go  through  a lifetime  without  acquiring  the 
proper  method,  and  their  game  throughout  suffers  accordingly 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 5 

If  the  beginner  can  be  brought  to  realise  this  simple  truth 
about  the  difficulty  of  the  game,  and  of  the  necessity  of  taking 
it  most  seriously,  he  will  have  gained  a great  deal.  One  may 
then  tell  him  that  despite  all  the  drudgery  of  painstaking 
practice  that  he  will  have  to  undergo,  and  the  thousands  of 
severe  disappointments  that  he  must  inevitably  endure,  it  does 
not  follow  that  all  the  period  of  his  studentship  will  be  dull 
and  uninteresting.  It  will  be  far  from  that.  The  game  will 
interest  him  and  fascinate  him  almost  as  much  after  his  first 
few  lessons  as  it  will  do  in  many  after-years.  He  will  find 
that  it  is  its  disappointments  and  difficulties  that  make  it  a 
game  so  well  worth  the  playing ; and  that,  while  he  will  be 
intensely  aggravated  on  some  days  because  he  can  do  nothing 
right  and  because  it  seems  that  he  has  forgotten  everything 
that  he  had  learned  in  months  before,  he  will  be  corre- 
spondingly elated  when  the  skill  that  he  has  acquired  comes  . 
back  to  him,  as  it  always  does,  with  a little  bit  added  to  it 
as  the  reward  of  his  persistence. 

The  golfer  finds  himself  so  constantly  and  keenly  ambitious 
as  does  the  player  of  no  other  game.  He  may  be  indifferent 
as  to  how  well  or  badly  he  plays  other  games  in  which  he  con- 
stantly takes  part  so  long  as  he  can  play  them  in  such  a manner 
as  “ not  to  make  a fool  of  himself,”  as  he  would  put  it,  and  when 
he  first  thinks  he  will  take  up  golf  that  may  be  his  attitude 
cowards  it,  and  he  may  say  to  himself  that  if  he  gets  the 
exercise  and  the  fresh  air  that  is  all  that  he  wants.  But  he 
will  speedily  find,  as  every  one  before  him  has  done,  that  in 
spite  of  himself  he  will  soon  be  yearning  for  more  and  more 
skill,  and  that  never  throughout  his  golfing  life  will  he  ever 
be  satisfied.  The  men  who  have  won  championships  still 


6 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

realise  their  weaknesses  and  long  for  more  skill  just  as  muci 
as  the  beginner  who  even  finds  it  to  be  a matter  of  difficulty 
to  hit  the  ball  at  all  when  taking  a full  swing  at  it  with  a 
driver. 

As  I have  just  said,  the  man  who  has  brought  himself 
under  advice  to  this  attitude  towards  the  game  at  the  outset 
of  his  career  on  the  links  will  have  gained  something,  and  he 
will  have  done  it  in  two  ways.  He  will  come  to  understand 
that  it  would  be  rather  too  dangerous  for  him  to  try  to  learn 
the  game  alone  and  unaided  by  any  competent  teacher,  as 
do  many  grown-up  people,  who  ought  to  know  better.  Un- 
directed in  their  choice  they  buy  a few  clubs  for  themselves, 
and  with  very  little  notion  about  how  to  address  and  hit  the 
ball  they  go  out  on  to  the  links,  and  flounder  about  for 
months  with  very  little  improvement  in  their  play,  and  with 
far  less  satisfaction  to  themselves  than  if  they  were  making 
some  kind  of  progress  or  were  conscious  that  even  now  and 
again  they  made  a shot  properly.  In  due  course  they 
challenge  other  players  to  have  matches  with  them,  and 
when  these  engagements  are  confined  to  opponents  who  have 
learned  their  game  in  the  same  way  all  is  well ; but  nothing 
is  more  annoying  to  a careful  and  thorough  golfer  who  goes 
about  his  golf  in  the  right  way  and  takes  some  sort  of  a 
pride  in  it,  than  to  be  matched  with  a man  who  is  palpably 
ignorant  of  the  most  elementary  principles  of  the  game, 
though  he  would  not  admit  it ; and  he  takes  care  that,  so  far 
as  he  has  control  over  such  matters,  he  will  avoid  such  a 
match  in  the  future.  In  his  after-life  this  haphazard  player, 
who  taught  himself  and  makes  it  his  boast  that  he  had  only 
one  lesson  in  his  life,  will  probably  come  to  wish  that  he  had 


Spaldings  Athletic  Library . 


7 


had  more  and  that  he  had  built  his  game  on  a sound  founda- 
tion. These  regrets  are  inevitable.  The  golf  world  is  over- 
populated  with  persons  who  wish  they  had  commenced  to 
play  in  the  proper  way. 

Consequently  the  wise  man  who  has  respect  for  the  game 
before  he  plays  it  will  take  as  much  advice  and  coaching  as 
he  can  get,  and  he  will  be  content  to  begin  in  the  most 
elementary  way,  and  will  not  mind  any  amount  of  drudgery 
in  the  way  of  practising  swings  and  particular  shots  before  he 
tries  to  make  a complete  round  of  the  links.  Nothing  is  more 
important  than  this  complete  practice  of  the  smallest  details 
at  the  very  beginning,  for  it  is  generally  the  case  that  habits 
made  at  this  stage,  whether  good  or  bad,  will  keep  to  the 
player  for  long  afterwards,  if  not  for  ever.  Therefore  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  that  the  style  that  he  cultivates  now 
should  be  as  good  and  correct  as  possible. 

There  is  a variety  of  other  preconceived  fancies  of  which 
the  beginner  will  do  well  to  get  rid  before  he  goes  to  the 
links  for  the  first  time.  A clear  understanding  of  the  prin- 
ciples involved  in  their  rejection  will  help  him  considerably. 
For  example,  in  most  other  games  that  one  can  call  to  mind 
it  is  the  case  that  the  harder  the  ball  is  struck  the  farther 
will  it  travel.  This  is  not  nearly  such  a general  principle  in 
golf.  If  the  stroke  is  absolutely  accurate  in  every  respect, 
and  it  is  a plain,  simple  drive  that  is  being  attempted,  then, 
no  doubt,  the  more  power  that  is  put  into  the  drive,  if  it  is 
put  in  at  the  right  time  and  in  the  right  way,  the  farther  will 
the  ball  travel.  But  except  in  the  case  of  players  of  many 
years’  experience  and  of  great  proficiency  it  seldom  happens 
that  the  driving  strokes,  which  are  very  complicated,  are 


S Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

made  so  accurately,  and  when  they  are  not  it  is  the  most  dan- 
gerous thing  to  hit  hard  with  all  one’s  strength  at  a ball,  or 

to  “ press”  as  it  is  called.  Nobody  who  has  not  had  to  deal 
with  one  can  imagine  what  a wayward  thing  is  a golf  ball. 
It  has  capacities  that  nobody  would  suspect  or  even  believe 
until  after  experience  of  them,  and  it  has  especially  an  enor- 
mous one  for  going  in  a different  direction  from  that  in 
which  the  stroke  was  aimed  and  in  which  it  was  desired  to 
despatch  the  ball.  Sometimes  it  is  to  the  right  and  some- 
times to  the  left,  and  in  either  of  these  cases  it  will  happen 
that  the  harder  the  ball  is  hit  the  shorter  will  be  the  distance 

that  it  will  travel  in  the  desired  line.  Therefore  let  the 

beginner  realise  that  this  is  not  a game  for  the  display  of  his 
strength,  and  even  after  he  has  acquired  great  proficiency — 
as  we  hope  he  will — he  will  find  that  the  gentler  stroke  per- 
fectly made  and  timed  will  pay  quite  as  well  for  all  practical 
purposes  as  the  one  that  was  made  with  all  the  force  at  the 
disposal  of  the  player — in  fact,  in  the  course  of  a long  and 
hard  match  it  will  probably  pay  much  better.  Often  enough 
it  will  get  the  ball  farther  down  the  course,  and  it  will  be 
infinitely  more  reliable.  In  saying  this  I must  not  be  under- 
stood to  mean  that  the  very  longest  driving,  which  is 
undoubtedly  useful  and  necessary  if  one  covets  the  high 
honours  of  golf,  is  not  to  be  obtained  without  the  application 
of  considerable  physical  strength  ; but  not  one  young  player 
in  a hundred  can  apply  that  strength  with  safety  to  his  game, 
and  he  must  wait  for  length  in  his  driving  to  come  of  its 
own  accord,  as  it  will  do  if  it  ever  comes,  meanwhile  being 
content  with  the  comparatively  gentle  game  which  is  so  sure. 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library . 


9 


VARIETY  OF  THE  GAME. 

Another  thing  that  the  beginner  must  be  brought  to  under- 
stand on  his  first  day  on  the  links,  is  that  with  the  exception 
of  tee  shots,  and  not  always  then,  there  are  no  two  shots  in 
the  game  that  are  exactly  similar  in  all  respects,  and  that  a 
man  may  play  a whole  round  and  find  it  necessary  to  make 
a pronounced  difference  in  every  stroke  played  in  it  if  he 
is  capable  of  such  a thing.  No  game  affords  more  variety 
in  this  respect,  though  to  the  eye  of  the  uninitiated  the  process 
of  working  the  ball  from  the  tee  to  the  hole  seems  to  contain 
no  variety  at  all  except  in  the  degree  of  force  which  is  applied 
to  the  stroke.  He  must  then  understand  that  the  method  of 
playing  with  the  various  clubs  differs  in  each  case.  When  he 
has  mastered  one  club  he  will  still  be  profoundly  ignorant  of 
how  to  manipulate  another.  Generally  speaking,  there  is  a 
certain  amount  of  similarity  with  the  play  of  all  wooden  clubs, 
which  are  chiefly  intended  to  despatch  the  ball  great  lengths, 
and  also  there  is  some  similarity  between  the  play  with  different 
iron  clubs  which  are  principally,  though  not  always,  used  when 
accuracy  in  approaching  the  hole  is  required  more  than  any 
great  length  of  the  stroke.  But  there  are  very  wide  differences 
between  the  play  with  the  wooden  clubs  and  that  with  the  iron 
ones,  and  any  attempt  to  use  them  according  to  a uniform 
system,  as  the  untutored  beginner  would  be  naturally  inclined 
to  do,  would  be  certain  to  end  in  nothing  but  disaster. 

In  the  play  with  wooden  clubs  the  ball  is  swept  from  its 
resting-place  in  the  course  of  the  long  swing  of  the  club,  and 
A is.  so  to  speak,  merely  an  incident  of  the  stroke  that  the  ball 
is  there  to  be  carried  along  with  the  club-head.  The  face  of 


10 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


the  driver  or  brassey  is  carefully  aimed  at  it,  and  of  course 
the  utmost  care  has  to  be  taken  that  it  is  brought  into  proper 
and  accurate  contact  with  it ; but  this  is  done  by  the  regulation 
of  the  other  parts  of  the  swing  before  the  club  gets  anywhere 
near  the  ball,  and  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  after 
striking  the  ball,  the  club  should  be  allowed  to  go  through  to 
the  finish  of  the  stroke,  in  a sense  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
In  the  general  understanding  of  the  term  the  ball  is  not  hit ; 
it  is  simply  swept  away. 

But  in  the  case  of  the  play  with  the  iron  clubs  the  stroke 
is  distinctly  a hit,  and,  excepting  so  far  as  it  shows  whether 
the  stroke  was  properly  made  or  not,  it  matters  very  little 
what  happens  after  the  ball  has  left  the  club.  There  is,  then, 
this  great  difference  between  the  two  classes  of  shots,  and 
there  are  other  differences  of  a minor  but  still  important 
character  between  the  play  with  the  various  clubs  in  each 
class.  For  example,  the  play  with  the  mashie,  which  is  the 
tool  generally  employed  when  it  is  desired  to  lift  the  ball 
fairly  high  up  into  the  air  so  that  when  it  drops  it  will  not 
run  very  far  and  so  that  therefore  its  final  resting-place  can 
be  most  accurately  judged,  is  a whole  art  and  science  in  itself. 
The  beginner  will  have  gained  something  when  he  properly 
appreciates  these  points. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


II. 


METHOD  OF  TUITION. 

It  is  evident  that  like  all  other  players  of  my  experience 
I attach  the  greatest  possible  importance  to  being  properly 
taught  from  the  beginning,  and  the  only  exception  that  I make 
is  in  the  case  of  young  boys,  who,  to  my  mind,  really  need 
no  tuition  at  all,  despite  all  the  difficulties  of  the  game,  and 
the  intricate  character  of  the  shots  that  are  played  in  it.  Boys 
are  very  adaptive,  and  if  they  have  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
good  players  on  the  links  they  very  soon  imitate  them  and 
play  in  the  same  way.  I should  think  it  is  the  best  thing  to 
let  them  fall  into  their  own  natural  style  in  this  way  rather 
than  force  any  particular  system  on  them.  If  a young  boy 
has  got  any  golf  in  him  he  will  be  able  to  get  it  out  unaided 
in  the  ordinary  course.  But  when  he  has  left  school  before 
he  first  begins  to  play  the  case  is  different,  and  he  must  then 
put  himself  in  the  hands  of  a tutor  who  will  do  the  best  that 
is  possible  with  him.  In  a general  way  the  later  in  life  a man 
begins  to  play  the  more  artificial  and  forced  is  his  style,  and 
therefore  the  more  remote  are  his  prospects  of  ever  attaining 
the  hall-mark  of  proficiency  which  is  indicated  in  being  a 
scratch  player.  But  it  does  not  by  any  means  follow  that 
a player  must  begin  early  in  order  to  play  a fine  game,  for 
championships  have  been  won  by  players  who  never  saw  a 
golf  ball  until  they  were  approaching  middle  age.  In  any 


12 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library 


;ase,  whether  they  begin  early  or  late  in  life,  players  derive 
In  almost  equal  enjoyment  from  the  game,  and  in  most  cases 
jhat  is  everything. 

One  might  add  that  great  skill  at  other  games  does  not 
necessarily  indicate  bright  prospects  of  success  at  golf.  To 
be  sure  the  man  who  is  athletic  and  adaptable  ought  to  have 
a pull  over  others  ; but  it  is  surprising  in  what  a large  number 
of  cases  he  fails  to  show  that  he  has.  Most  people  come  to 
golf  from  cricket,  and  it  is  imagined  that  cricket  is  a first- 
class  training  for  it.  So  it  is  up  to  a certain  point ; but  the 
cricketer  has  to  make  up  his  mind  that  when  he  is  on  the 
links  he  is  no  cricketer  and  knows  nothing  of  any  other  game 
than  that  which  he  has  in  hand  at  the  moment.  If  he 
applies  any  of  his  cricket  methods  to  golf  he  will  find  himself 
in  trouble,  and  the  cricket  stroke  in  the  drive  is  one  of  the 
worst  things  ever  seen  on  the  links,  and  one  of  the  hardest 
faults  to  get  out  of.  One  often  finds  that  a good  billiard  player 
makes  a good  golfer,  because  he  has  such  a full  appreciation 
of  the  different  effects  upon  a little  ball  according  to  the  precise 
manner  in  which  it  is  struck.  And  the  superior  training  of  his 
eye  stands  him  in  very  good  stead  on  the  putting  greens. 

There  are  two  other  things  for  the  beginner  to  bear  in  mind. 
The  first  is  that  though  golf  may  not  be  a violent  exercise  like 
cricket  or  football  or  tennis,  it  is  nevertheless  a game  which 
makes  many  demands  on  a man’s  physique,  that  is  if  he  plays 
it  to  any  considerable  extent.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that 
a man  who  plays  two  matches  of  eighteen  holes  in  a day  has 
necessarily  walked  the  best  part  of  ten  miles  in  doing  so,  and 
that  he  has  made  somewhere  about  a couple  of  hundred  body 
movements  in  the  swinging  of  his  clubs.  He  will  not  be  able 


13 


Spalding9 s Athletic  Library 

to  do  this  with  the  greatest  amount  of  pleasure  to  himself 
unless  he  takes  ordinary  precautions  to  keep  himself  fit  and 
in  the  best  condition  of  body  and  nerve. 

The  last  piece  of  advice  I have  to  give  to  the  beginnei 
before  sending  him  out  with  his  clubs  is  to  make  it  a principle 
«vith  himself  in  his  early  days  to  play  a little  and  to  think  a 
lot.  Golf  is  a game  requiring  an  enormous  amount  of  thought, 
and  unless  the  player  can  always  ascertain  exactly  what  is  the 
reason  for  his  faults  and  what  is  the  reason  for  his  method  of 
remedying  them  he  will  never  make  much  progress.  The  more 
he  thinks  out  the  game  for  himself  the  better  he  will  get  on 
at  it,  and  it  is  when  he  is  doing  so  that  this  little  volume  will 
be  most  useful  as  containing  the  main  principles  of  correct 
play  set  down  with  as  much  simplicity  and  lucidity  as  I am 
capable  of.  I think  that  every  player  who  is  not  a boy  should 
take  his  lessons  from  a teacher  ; but  a sound  book  on  golf 
will  be  of  great  use  to  him  for  study  when  he  is  off  the  links 
and  is  reflecting  on  the  things  that  happened  the  last  time 
he  was  there.  Short  and  simple  as  it  is,  the  man  who  can 
bring  himself  to  do  everything  just  as  I tell  him  in  this 
book  will  have  arrived  at  that  stage  when  he  will  require  very 
little  instruction  from  any  one.  I am  not  going  into  the  fine 
points  of  the  game,  such  as  intentional  slicing,  pulling,  and  so 
forth,  because  it  may  be  years  before  the  beginner  is  ready 
for  such  advanced  instruction,  and  at  the  outset  he  will  find 
his  time  quite  sufficiently  occupied  in  preventing  that  pulling 
and  slicing  which  are  not  intentional  and  which  threaten  to 
spoil  his  game. 


14 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


III. 

CHOOSING  THE  CLUBS. 

My  first  word  of  advice  is  to  buy  no  clubs  at  all,  except  under 
the  most  competent  advice,  until  you  know  something  about 
the  game,  and  to  buy  as  few  as  possible  until  you  feel  that 
you  know  a great  deal  about  it,  and  really  understand  what 
it  is  that  you  are  buying.  The  professional  or  other  instructor 
who  gives  you  your  first  lessons  in  the  game  will  be  the  best 
man  to  fit  you  out;  but  at  some  of  the  best  golf  stores  there 
are  very  competent  golfers  in  charge,  who  have  a sufficient 
sense  of  the  responsibility  of  their  business  not  to  thrust  upon 
the  beginner  tools  that  will  be  of  very  little  use  to  him  even 
if  they  will  not  prove  harmful.  But  the  intending  player  must 
be  very  careful  as  to  whom  he  deals  with  in  this  way.  It  is 
a great  mistake  to  join  a golf  club  and  buy  a set  of  clubs,  as 
so  many  people  do,  before  the  first  visit  to  the  course  is  made, 
with  the  mistaken  idea  that  they  will  be  all  ready  and  fitted  out 
on  their  arrival  at  the  links. 

The  professional  will  very  soon  size  up  his  man,  and  supply 
him  with  what  is  most  adapted  to  his  requirements.  There 
are,  however,  some  general  principles  governing  the  selection 
of  clubs  for  different  players  which  I may  set  down  here. 
First  I would  say  that  for  any  class  of  player  I do  not  favour 
featherweight  clubs.  A golf-club,  after  all,  is  not  a very  heavy 
thing,  and  even  the  very  lightest  players,  and  those  who  have 


15 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

the  least  physical  strength  must  be  quite  capable  of  swinging 
a tolerably  heavy  club  with  a good  deal  of  effect.  Mind,  I 
am  not  advocating  really  heavy  clubs  for  all  sorts  and  conditions 
of  players  ; but  I am  merely  urging  that  because  a man  is 
physically  slender  it  does  not  follow  that  he  must  have  lighter 
clubs  than  other  men.  As  a general  rule  they  are  not  so 
steady  and  reliable  in  the  hands  of  a player  as  heavier  clubs 
are.  To  some  extent  opinion  in  the  golf  world  changes  from 
time  to  time  as  to  which  is  the  better,  short  clubs  or  long  ones. 
Sometimes  there  is  a craze  for  clubs  with  very  long  shafts,  and 
this  fancy  reached  a very  exaggerated  stage  a little  while  ago, 
when  some  players  went  in  for  what  were  called  fishing-rod 
drivers.  In  my  opinion  they  gain  very  little,  if  anything,  in 
length,  and  it  is  inevitable,  no  matter  how  clever  they  are, 
that  they  must  lose  something  in  accuracy.  However,  in  these 
matters  much  depends  on  fancy,  and  I will  only  say  that  for 
my  own  part  I rather  advocate  a club  on  the  short  side,  because 
I think  it  is  very  much  safer  in  the  hands  of  all  classes  of  players, 
and  ensures  far  more  accuracy  than  can  be  gained  with  the  long- 
shafted  tools. 

Most  particular  attention  should  be  paid  to  what  is  called 
the  lie  of  the  clubs  that  are  chosen.  By  this  is  meant  the  angle 
which  the  bottom  of  the  blade,  or  the  sole  of  the  club,  makes 
with  the  shaft.  It  will  be  evident  that  according  to  the  angle 
at  which  the  shaft  of  the  club  is  held  by  the  player  when  he  is 
preparing  to  make  his  stroke,  so  will  the  sole  of  the  club  lie 
evenly  on  the  ground,  or  with  either  its  toe  or  its  heel  raised  up 
above  it  as  the  case  may  be.  Now  in  all  cases  except  one — 
which  I shall  point  out  in  due  course — it  is  essential  for  the 
proper  making  of  the  stroke  that  the  club  should  be  laid  thus 


1 6 Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 

evenly  on  the  ground ; if  it  is  not  the  ball  will  not  be  taken 
properly,  and  something  is  sure  to  go  wrong  with  the  stroke. 
The  question  is  as  to  whether  the  player  must  move  himself 
nearer  or  farther  from  the  ball  so  as  to  get  his  club  to  the  right 
angle,  or  whether  he  must  have  different  clubs  to  suit  the  distance 
at  which  he  feels  most  comfortable.  The  latter  is  the  only  prope 
course.  Every  player  will  find  that  he  feels  more  comfortable 
and  in  a better  working  position  when  he  stands  at  a particular 
distance  from  the  ball,  having  regard  to  the  kind  of  club 
which  he  has  in  his  hands  at  the  time,  and  he  should  have  clubs 
chosen  for  him  so  that  when  he  stands  at  this  distance  their 
soles  lie  evenly  on  the  turf.  Generally  a tall  man,  who  will 
not  want  to  lean  out  very  far  in  making  his  stroke,  will  find 
that  in  the  natural  order  of  things  he  will  hold  his  club  very 
upright,  and  consequently  he  will  want  clubs  with  what  we 
call  upright  lies,  that  is  clubs  which  have  the  angles  formed 
between  the  soles  and  the  shafts  rather  sharper — a little  nearer 
to  right  angles — than  in  the  case  of  others.  Short  men,  on  the 
other  hand,  will  want  clubs  with  flat  lies,  as  they  are  called, 
that  is  to  say  clubs  in  which  the  angle  just  referred  to  is  very 
much  wider.  The  selection  of  clubs  with  proper  lies  is  of 
great  importance,  and  it  is  above  all  necessary  that  the  different 
clubs  in  a set  should  have  lies  to  match,  and  should  not  be  all 
different  from  each  other.  When  the  latter  is  the  case,  as  so 
often  happens  with  inexperienced  players,  either  the  player  has 
constantly  to  accommodate  himself  to  his  various  clubs  and 
change  his  position  according  to  each  of  them,  when  it  should 
not  be  necessary  to  do  so  (a  course  of  procedure  which  will 
spoil  all  the  confidence  and  accuracy  of  his  play),  or  else  for 
many  of  his  shots  he  will  be  playing  his  clubs  in  a way  that  does 


Position  of  Hands  and  Fingers  for  the  Ordinary  two  “V*’  Grip. 
See  Chapter  IV. 


Another  view  of  the  Hands  and  Fingers  in  the  Overlapping  unp. 
See  Chapter  IV. 


Position  of  Hands  and  Fingers  for  the  Overlapping  Grip. 
See  Chapter  IV. 


and  Position  of  Ball  for  a Full  Drive 
See  Chanter  V. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library.  21 

not  suit  them  and  from  which  good  results  are  next  to  im- 
possible. Players  very  often  blame  clubs  for  their  own  inferior 
play  when  they  are  not  justified  in  doing  so;  but  it  does 
frequently  happen  that  players  have  clubs  with  lies  which  dc 
not  suit  them,  and  this  is  often  the  unsuspected  cause  of  constant 
failure  with  implements  which  look  to  be  the  very  perfection  of 
their  class.  . 

Questions  as  to  the  length  of  the  face,  and  the  depth  of  it, 
and  the  amount  of  loft  on  the  various  clubs,  can  only  be  satis- 
factorily settled  after  a little  experience,  as  what  will  suit  one 
player  in  this  way  will  not  suit  another.  I may  say,  however, 
that  I am  not  very  much  of  a believer  in  the  very  short  faces 
on  wooden  clubs  which  have  been  so  fashionable  during  the 
last  few  years.  I don't  see  that  there  is  any  gain  in  them, 
and  if  there  is  no  gain  it  is  more  than  likely  that  there  is 
some  loss. 

Much  depends  on  the  build  of  a man  as  to  what  kind  of 
clubs  he  should  be  fitted  out  with.  An  entirely  different  kind 
of  club  should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  free-limbed, 
athletic  man  from  that  which  is  given  to  the  stiffly  built  man 
to  play  with.  The  latter  plays  more  from  his  shoulders,  and 
is  unable  to  twist  his  body  round  so  easily  for  the  purpose  of 
swinging  the  club.  It  follows,  therefore,  that  he  usually  makes  a 
much  shorter  swing — a kind  of  half  swing — and  when  that  is  the 
case  it  is  advisable  to  give  him  a rather  heavier  club  than  usual, 
in  order  that  he  may  get  a full  amount  of  force  into  his 
stroke.  On  the  other  hand,  the  loosely  built  man,  who  will 
naturally  go  in  for  a very  free  and  full  swing,  may  have  rather 
lighter  clubs. 


22 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


IV. 

HOW  TO  GRIP  THE  CLUB. 

The  first  thing  the  beginner  will  have  to  learn  is.  how  to  grip 
his  club  properly  preparatory  to  making  a stroke,  and  this 
is  not  quite  the  simple  matter  that  it  may  appear  at  the  first 
glance.  There  are  many  golfers  of  considerable  experience 
who  do  not  grip  their  clubs  in  the  right  manner,  and  they 
are  suffering  accordingly.  During  the  last  few  years  a new 
kind  of  grip  has  been  making  itself  exceedingly  popular,  and 
it  is  now  used  by  most  of  the  players  who  have  attained 
championship  honours.  It  is  what  they  call  the  overlapping 
grip.  In  taking  hold  of  the  club  the  two  hands  are  brought 
so  close  together  that  the  right  one,  which  is  the  lower  of 
the  two,  actually  partly  overlaps  the  left  one,  that  is  to  say 
some  of  the  fingers  of  the  former  ride  on  the  top  of  the  fingers 
of  the  other.  For  those  who  can  use  it  properly  this  grip 
has  many  advantages,  the  chief  of  which  is  that  there  is  never 
any  doubt  as  to  the  proper  amount  of  work  to  be  done  by 
each  hand,  since,  to  a very  large  extent,  the  two  hands  work 
together  as  one.  When  he  gets  on  in  the  game  the  player  will 
find  that  one  of  his  chief  difficulties  from  time  to  time  is 
properly  to  apportion  the  amount  of  work  and  responsibility  to 
each  hand,  and  when  the  business  is  not  properly  shared  the 
stroke  goes  wrong.  Sometimes  it  is  necessary  that  the  right 
hand  should  be  the  controlling  factor,  and  sometimes  the  left, 
that  is  when  the  two  hands  are  held  apart  as  in  the  ordinary 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 23 

grip.  Most  of  the  difficulties  arising  from  this  state  of  affairs 
are  obviated  in  the  case  of  the  overlapping  grip,  and  when 
one  has  become  accustomed  to  its  use  it  is  very  easy  and 
comfortable  and  never  gives  any  trouble.  Taylor,  Harry  Vardon, 
and  I all  use  this  kind  of  grip. 

Those  who  have  started  golf  with  the  other  one,  and  now, 
perhaps  later  on  in  their  careers,  are  desirous  of  making  a change 
to  the  overlapping  grip  because  they  have  heard  so  much  about 
it  and  because  the  idea  of  it  appeals  to  them,  should  bear 
one  thing  in  mind,  and  that  is  that  it  will  not  suit  every  one — 
a warning  which  it  seems  to  me  has  not  been  given  often 
enough.  Excellent  as  are  the  advantages  of  this  way  of  holding 
the  club,  there  are  some  players  in  whose  case  it  would  be 
mere  folly  and  waste  of  time  trying  to  cultivate  it,  and  in  fact 
one  sometimes  sees  players  persevering  with  it  in  the  most 
diligent  manner  and  all  the  time  playing  a much  worse  game 
than  usual  in  consequence,  because  of  a vain  hope  that  they 
will  sometime  reap  great  benefits  from  it.  What  it  is  absolutely 
essential  the  player  should  have  for  this  grip  are  very  strong 
fingers,  which  are  at  the  same  time  probably  a little  above 
the  average  in  length.  With  fingers  of  medium  strength  good 
results  cannot  be  achieved  with  the  overlapping  grip,  and  it 
will  at  the  same  time  be  far  more  comfortable  and  satisfactory 
to  keep  to  the  old-fashioned  system  to  which  many  of  the  best 
players  still  adhere  and  to  which  there  are  no  objections  when 
it  is  not  abused  in  any  way. 

But  if  there  is  no  reason  on  this  score  why  the  player  should 
not  adopt  the  overlapping  grip,  and  he  desires  to  do  so,  it  may 
be  recommended  with  all  possible  confidence,  and  by  way  of 
introducing  it  to  the  reader  he  may  be  referred  to  the 


■24 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


photographs  of  it,  which  will  give  him  a very  clear  idea  of 
what  it  is  and  how  it  is  made. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  my  left  hand  grips  the  club  well  over 
the  top  of  the  shaft,  and  it  grips  it  firmly  with  all  the  fingers. 
My  thumb  rests  against  the  side  of  the  shaft,  and  I might  remark 
here  that  in  the  case  of  the  right  hand  also  the  thumb  is  more 
against  the  side  of  the  shaft  than  on  the  top  of  it,  this  con- 
stituting a slight  difference  from  the  grips  taken  by  other  well- 
known  players.  It  is  largely  a matter  of  fancy,  and  some  people 
maintain  that  by  keeping  their  thumbs  almost,  if  not  completely, 
on  the  top  of  the  shafts  they  keep  a better  control  during  the 
swing  ; but  I have  found  the  opposite  to  be  the  case.  Having 
got  my  left  hand  in  position  to  begin  with,  I apply  the  right 
hand  to  the  club  so  that  the  latter  lies  in  the  joint  of  the  first 
finger.  The  two  first  fingers  grip  well  hold  of  this  club,  the 
third  finger  does  very  little,  and  the  little  one  rests  on  the  top  of 
the  first  finger  of  the  left  hand,  thus  effecting  the  coupling  of  the 
two  hands.  When  the  grip  is  complete  the  left  thumb  is  pressed 
against  the  side  of  the  shaft  by  the  ball  of  the  right  hand. 

The  whole  grip  must  be  very  firm  and  such  as  to  ensure  a 
complete  command  over  the  club  in  every  respect ; but  the 
player  must  be  cautioned  against  making  it  too  tight,  so  that  the 
muscles  of  the  wrist  and  forearm  are  stiffened  up  as  they  are 
when  unusual  pressure  is  employed  by  the  hands  in  gripping. 
It  is  these  muscles  which  have  to  do  much  of  the  work  in 
swinging  the  club,  and  it  would  be  fatal  to  make  them  so  taut  as 
to  be  more  or  less  unworkable. 

The  other  kind  of  grip,  which  is  the  one  most  generally  in  use, 
is  very  easily  explained.  The  club  is  gripped  in  the  simplest 
possible  manner,  the  left  hand  above  the  right,  and  when  this  is 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 25 

done  and  both  hands  are  brought  quite  close  together  so  that 
there  is  not  a fraction  of  space  between  them,  there  is  only  one 
particular  in  which  the  novice  can  possibly  go  wrong.  His  first 
instinct  would,  no  doubt,  be  to  take  hold  of  the  club  in  the  same 
way  that  he  would  seize  anything  else  that  he  wanted  to  wield,, 
and  this  way  would  generally  consist  of  each  hand  being  applied 
sideways  to  the  handle,  as  it  were,  so  that  both  sets  of  finger- 
nails would  come  up  on  the  top.  This  would  be  quite  wrong,, 
and  a proper  swing  would  be  quite  impossible  with  such  a grip. 
The  right-hand  should  be  brought  much  more  round  on  to  the 
top  of  the  shaft,  and  the  left  hand  should  be  turned  in  to  meet  it 
as  it  were,  so  that  the  arch  formed  by  the  join  of  the  first  finger 
with  the  thumb  in  each  case  is  almost  directly  over  the  centre  of 
the  shaft.  Because  of  this  being  the  guide  to  the  proper  way  of 
gripping,  the  old-fashioned  method  as  thus  described  is  often 
called  the  two-V  grip. 

In  this  case  again  different  players  have  different  fancies  as  to  . 
where  the  thumbs  should  be,  and  in  different  cases  you  find  one 
or  other,  or  both  of  them,  on  the  top  of  the  shaft ; but  as  before 
I am  of  opinion  that  the  best  place  for  them  is  the  side. 

Make  the  grip  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  middle  of  the- 
leather  on  the  handle  of  the  club,  with  about  the  same  amount 
of  it  projecting  at  each  end.  One  does  not  get  the  proper 
balance  of  the  club  and  cannot  employ  it  with  the  same  effect 
if  the  grip  is  made  right  at  the  bottom,  as  players  sometimes 
make  it  when  they  are  off  their  game  and  go  groping  about  in  all 
directions  for  a remedy  for  the  faults  that  they  commit.  In  such 
cases  it  sometimes  happens  that  temporarily  a very  low  grip 
effects  a great  improvement ; but  it  is  altogether  wrong  and  will 
sooner  or  later  bring  trouble  on  the  pla}7er.  I would  earnestly 


26 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

advise  him  therefore  to  avoid  such  expedients.  In  the  same  way 
you  should  not  grasp  the  leather  right  at  the  top  end,  as  then 
you  feel  a complete  loss  of  control  over  the  club. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  surface  of  the  leather 
should  be  kept  in  such  a state  as  to  afford  a perfectly  secure 
grip  to  the  hands.  For  this  reason  it  should  not  be  soft  and 
smooth,  but  should  have  a little  bite.  If  it  should  be  made 
of  ordinary  leather  it  will  need  to  be  rubbed  occasionally 
with  pitch  or  wax ; but  latterly  a kind  of  American  cloth 
has  been  largely  used  for  these  handle  coverings,  and  very 
delightful  it  is  for  such  use,  giving  a cool  and  very  firm  grip. 
Its  only  disadvantage  is  that  it  does  not  wear  very  well. 
Rubber  grips  are  popular  with  some  players,  though  not  so 
much  so  as  they  used  to  be.  They  often  split  and  give  way 
at  the  ends,  and  then  shrink  up  all  at  once  so  that  the  club 
is  practically  useless  for  the  rest  of  the  round,  which  may 
sometimes  be  a very  serious  matter.  Also  they  are  very 
dangerous  in  wet  weather,  for  then  they  become  very  slip- 
pery, and  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  keep  the  hands  tight 
on  them.  There  are  tales  of  championships  having  been 
lost  through  this  cause. 

I might  add  that  the  same  system  of  gripping  the  club 
should  be  carried  out  uniformly  in  the  case  of  all  the  different 
clubs  which  the  player  employs,  and  the  only  variation  is 
in  the  degree  of  tightness  with  which  the  right  hand  is  held. 
These  variations  I will  explain  in  their  proper  place.  Some 
players,  however,  who  cannot  master  the  overlapping  grip 
for  their  other  strokes  where  force  is  required  more  or  less, 
use  it  in  putting,  and  there  is  no  objection  to  their  doing  so 
if  they  think  it  helps  them,  as  it  may  very  conceivably  do. 


Showing  comparatively  the  different  positions  of  each  foot  for  play 
with  different  clubs.  The  figures  on  the  left  of  the  vertical  line 
each  represent  positions  of  the  left  foot,  and  those  on  the  right 
side  the  corresponding  positions  of  the  right  foot.  The  strokes 
indicated  are  as  follows  : — 

1,  i Ordinary  drive. 

2,  2 Playing  for  a pull  with  driver. 

3,  3 Playing  for  a shie  with  driver. 

4,  4 Full  cleek  shot. 

5,  5 Full  iron  shot. 

6,  6 Full  mashie  shot. 

7,  7 Putting. 


28 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


V. 

STANCE  AND  ADDRESS  IN  DRIVING. 

The  way  in  which  a golfer  stands  to  his  ball,  and  the  dis- 
tance which  his  feet  are  from  each  other  and  from  the  ball 
are  called  the  stance,  and  the  stance  varies  with  each  different 
kind  of  shot  that  it  is  desired  to  make.  When  a player  has 
taken  up  his  stance  and  is  preparing  to  hit  the  ball  he  is 
said  to  be  addressing  it.  The  first  shot  that  is  played  in  the 
round  is  the  drive,  and  it  is  needed  from  the  teeing  ground 
at  most  of  the  holes  on  the  way  round.  In  many  respects 
it  is  the  most  fascinating  shot  in  the  whole  of  golf,  and 
there  is  none  which  gives  the  golfer  so  much  pleasure 
as  a fine  drive,  in  which  the  ball  is  sent  along  in  a dead 
straight  line,  or  with  just  such  a suspicion  of  pull  on  it  as 
to  help  its  length.  The  golfer  always  knows  when  the  ball 
has  gone  quite  sweetly  off  his  club,  and  when  every  ounce 
and  grain  that  he  put  into  the  stroke  were  taken  by  the  ball. 
It  has  become  the  fashion  in  some  quarters  to  try  to  make 
out  that  long  driving  is  not  of  so  much  importance  as  it  has 
been  made  out  to  be,  and  that  players  need  not  make  any 
great  efforts  to  attain  it.  To  that  statement  one  has  to  reply 
that  while  long  driving  is  certainly  not  everything,  and  that 
a player  should  never  sacrifice  such  accuracy  and  steadiness 
as  he  is  capable  of  in  order  to  accomplish  it,  still  it  makes 
every  remaining  stroke  in  the  playing  of  the  hole  easier  and 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 29 

more  certain,  and  consequently  it  must  necessarily  happen 
that  now  and  again  a whole  stroke  is  saved.  I therefore  say 
that  while  short  drivers  have  done  great  things,  and  that 
while  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  do  them  again, 
especially  now  that  they  are  so  much  helped  by  the  rubber*, 
cored  balls,  still  I think  a man  can  rarely  become  a really 
great  player  unless  he  is  at  all  events  a fairly  long  driver. 
As  I suggested  in  the  opening  pages  of  this  little  work,  it  is 
more  likely  to  come  through  great  accuracy  and  the  most 
perfect  timing  combined  with  a reasonable  exertion  of  strength 
than  as  the  result  of  muscular  effort  pure  and  simple. 

When  the  player  makes  his  drive  from  the  tee  he  is  allowed 
to  have  most  things  in  his  favour,  and  consequently  it  is  per- 
mitted to  him  to  place  his  ball  on  a tiny  eminence,  usually 
made  of  sand,  which  is  called  teeing  it.  His  club-head,  there- 
fore, has  a clean  sweep  at  the  ball  with  no  obstructions  sur- 
rounding it.  He  can  make  his  tee  anywhere  on  the  teeing 
ground  within  the  recognised  limits,  and  he  should  take  advan- 
tage of  this  latitude  in  selecting  a place  where  his  feet  will 
have  a secure  hold  from  heel  to  toe,  where  the  feet  will  be 
level  with  each  other,  and  where  the  ball  will  be  as  nearly 
as  possible  on  a level  patch  of  ground.  A slight  inclination 
one  way  or  the  other  so  as  to  cause  a hanging  lie,  as  it  is 
called,  will  materially  affect  the  stroke.  It  is  not  always  a 
good  thing  to  tee  in  just  the  same  place  as  others  have  done 
before  you,  as  indie  ited  by  the  sand  they  have  left  behind. 
The  tee  in  that  place  is  often  rough  and  slippery  after  such 
constant  use.  Care  should  also  be  taken  to  tee  the  ball  in 
a place  where  everything  about  it  is  smooth  and  even.  A 
cigarette  stump  a piece  of  paper,  or  a match  stalk  might  be 


30  Spalding's  Athletic  Library, 

quite  sufficient  to  distract  the  eye  when  the  downward  swing 
was  being  made,  with  the  result  that  the  stroke  would  be 
almost  certainly  spoiled.  For  the  same  reason  it  is  not  a good 
thing  to  tee  up  very  near  to  the  teeing-box.  Tee  in  such  a 
place  that  the  very  narrow  field  of  vision  which  is  afforded 
to  the  eye  when  it  is  fixed  on  the  ball  includes  nothing  except 
the  tee  and  the  bare  turf.  The  tee  should  be  as  low  as  is 
consistent  with  the  club  taking  the  ball  without  any  impedi- 
ment. Many  players  make  the  mistake  of  teeing  too  high. 

Then  comes  the  great  question  as  to  how  exactly  the  player 
shall  stand  when  he  is  getting  ready  for  his  stroke  and  while 
he  is  making  it.  This  is  a matter  of  vast  importance,  inas- 
much as  the  success  or  failure  of  the  stroke  depends  largely 
on  it,  and  it  is  surprising  what  an  effect  a variation  of  an 
inch  or  two  in  the  position  of  one  or  other  of  the  feet  will 
have  upon  the  way  in  which  the  ball  is  hit  and  the  subse- 
quent flight  of  it.  The  player  should  take  the  greatest  pains 
to  find  out  exactly  what  stance  suits  him  best  for  the  different 
strokes,  and  should  be  sure  that  this  stance  is  theoretically 
justifiable.  No  very  hard-and-fast  rule  can  be  laid  down, 
and  there  is  some  margin  for  individual  peculiarities,  for 
almost  all  the  leading  players  vary  to  some  slight  extent  in 
this  respect.  Still  there  are  certain  general  principles  to  be 
obeyed,  and  if  the  golfer  attempts  to  defy  them  because  he 
thinks  he  can  do  better  in  his  own  way,  he  is  sure  to  be 
sorry  for  it  before  he  has  had  any  very  lengthy  experience 
on  the  links.  When  he  has  found  the  right  stance  for  each 
stroke  he  should  stick  to  it,  even  when  he  is  temporarily  off 
his  game  and  is  inclined  to  try  all  sorts  of  dodges  in  order 
to  get  back  to  it,  and  he  should  not  give  up  his  stance  for 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 31 

another  one  until  after  the  gravest  consideration,  and  having 
quite  satisfied  himself  that  what  he  is  doing  is  for  the  best. 

Now  it  is  impossible  to  give  any  definite  instruction  as  to 
how  far  in  feet  and  inches  the  player  should  stand  from  the 
ball,  as  it  is  obvious  that  this  must  largely  depend  on  his 
height  and  the  length  of  his  reach.  As  I am  six  feet  two  in 
height  it  would  be  little  use  for  me  to  tell  a player  who  was 
only  five  feet  seven  how  far  my  feet  are  from  the  ball  when 
I am  addressing  it,  because  it  would  be  wrong  for  him  to 
stand  so  far  away,  and  even  in  the  case  of  players  of  the 
same  stature  and  length  of  reach  there  are  slight  variations 
which  are  permissible.  As  a general  rule,  however,  the  player 
should  stand  just  so  far  from  the  ball  that  when  the  face  of 
the  club  is  laid  against  it  the  end  of  the  shaft  just  reaches  to 
his  left  knee  when  the  latter  has  just  the  suspicion  of  a bend 
in  it.  Standing  at  this  distance  he  will  be  able  to  make  his 
stroke  freely  and  comfortably  and  with  accuracy,  not  having 
to  overreach  himself  on  the  one  hand  or  cramp  himself  on 
the  other. 

Then  as  to  the  relative  positions  of  the  feet,  there  are  two 
distinct  systems.  The  stance,  according  to  one  of  them,  is 
called  the  open  stance.  When  this  is  adopted  the  right  foot 
is  placed  considerably  nearer  to  the  ball  than  the  left — perhaps 
eight  or  nine  inches  nearer,  or  even  more  than  that.  By  this 
system  it  will  be  seen  that  as  the  club  is  being  brought  on 
to  the  ball,  and  afterwards  when  it  is  following  through,  the 
passage,  so  to  speak,  is  quite  clear,  and  the  left  foot  is  well 
out  of  the  way.  With  this  stance,  which  is  very  popular  with 
some  of  the  best  players,  very  fine  and  powerful  play  is  possible. 
The  other  stance  is  rather  more  old-fashioned,  but  is  still  played 


32 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


with  and  thoroughly  believed  in  by  many  of  the  best  amateur 
and  professional  players,  particularly  those  belonging  to  the 
old  Scottish  schools.  In  this  case  the  right  toe  is  either  just 
on  a level  with  the  left  one  or  even  some  inches  behind  it. 
To  the  uninitiated  this  difference  may  seem  a very  small 
matter ; but  it  means  everything  to  the  style  of  the  player. 
In  the  case  of  the  open  stance  the  weight  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  stroke  is  on  the  right  foot,  and  therefore  we  say  that  the 
man  is  playing  off  the  right  foot.  With  the  square  stance  it  is 
rather  more  on  the  left.  The  general  opinion  seems  to  be  that 
the  open  stance  is  the  easier  of  the  two  to  work  with  ; but  I 
am  not  in  agreement.  My  own  stance  is  a partially  square  one, 
for  my  toes  are  almost  dead  level  with  each  other,  as  may  be 
seen  by  reference  to  the  accompanying  photographs.  Aftei 
much  consideration,  and  as  a result  of  my  experience  with 
hundreds  of  pupils,  I have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is 
easier  for  the  beginner  to  learn  to  play  off  the  left  foot,  that 
is  to  say  with  the  toes  either  level  with  each  other  or  the  right 
one  slightly  behind  the  other.  He  will  get  quite  as  good  results 
with  this  stance  as  he  would  with  the  other  ; it  is  really  quite 
as  easy  to  follow-through  with  the  club  when  the  stroke  is 
being  made,  and  the  player  is  not  so  liable  to  fall  into  the 
error  of  getting  his  hands  and  body  in  front  of  the  club. 
Moreover,  one  of  the  commonest  and  most  trying  faults  of  the 
beginner  is  slicing  with  his  wooden  clubs.  A stroke  is  sliced 
when  the  club-head  is — imperceptibly  to  the  eye  or  even  to  the 
feel — drawn  across  the  ball  at  the  moment  of  contact  It  may 
be  only  a sixteenth  of  an  inch,  but  the  result  is  to  impart  a 
curious  motion  to  the  ball,  as  the  result  of  which,  after  starting 
off  in  a straight  line,  it  suddenly  wheels  round  to  the  right,  and 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


32 


sometimes  towards  the  end  of  its  flight  it  is  actually  travelling 
at  right  angles  to  its  original  and  proper  direction.  The  con- 
sequence, of  course,  is  that  much  of  the  desired  length  is  lost, 
and  in  addition  the  ball,  by  wheeling  round  in  this  Way,  is  almost 
certain  to  land  itself  into  a bunker,  or  the  rough  grass  or  other 
trouble  on  the  side  of  the  fairway,  so  that  a whole  stroke,  or  the 
best  part  of  one,  is  lost.  When  the  golfer  plays  off  the  left 
foot  with  the  square  stance,  although  he  is  not  immune  from 
slicing  he  is  very  much  less  liable  to  it  than  with  the  open 
stance. 

Concerning  the  position  of  the  ball  with  respect  to  the  feet, 
there  is  not  much  room  for  variation  or  difference  of  opinion. 
In  some  abnormal  cases  one  finds  a player  teeing  up  the  ball 
.almost  opposite  his  left  toe,  while  a few  others  bring  it  back 
to  a point  almost  midway  between  the  feet,  or  even  a shade 
more  to  the  right.  But  undoubtedly  a mistake  is  made  in  each 
instance.  The  commoner  practice,  and  that  which  I have 
always  adopted  myself,  and  which  I recommend  to  all  others-, 
is  to  place  the  ball,  or  place  the  feet,  so  that  the  former  is  in 
a line  about  six  inches  to  the  right  of  the  left  heel.  This 
allows  of  the  full  force  of  the  swing  being  brought  on  to  it, 
of  the  club  taking  it  at  the  time  which  is  likely  to  be  most 
effective,  and  of  the  follow-through  being  executed  in  the 
easiest  and  most  complete  manner.  Both  the  toes  should  be 
turned  slightly  outwards.  When  in  position  and  ready  .for 
play,  both  the  legs  and  the  arms  of  the  player  should  be  just 
a trifle  relaxed — just  so  much  as  to  get  rid  of  any  feeling  of 
stiffness,  and  to  allow  of  the  most  complete  freedom  of  move- 
ment. The  slackening  may  be  a little  more  pronounced  in 
the  case  of  the  arms  than  with  the  legs,  as  much  more  freedom 


34  Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 

is  required  of  them  subsequently.  They  should  fall  easily  and 
comfortably  to  the  sides,  and  the  general  feeling  of  the  player 
at  this  stage  should  be  one  of  flexibility  and  power.  If  he 
does  not  possess  it  the  chances  are  that  there  is  something 
wrong  somewhere.  He  should  take  care  that  the  weight  of 
his  body  is  now  well  down  on  his  heels  and  not  on  the  balls 
of  his  feet.  An  almost  imperceptible  movement  will  make  all 
the  difference  in  this  respect,  and  it  is  quite  impossible  to  drive 
well  or  accurately  unless  the  weight  is  on  the  heels.  There 
may  be  a little  more  weight  on  the  right  heel  than  on  the 
left  in  the  case  of  the  address.  In  passing  it  may  be  remarked 
that  the  player  should  never  neglect  the  precaution  of  having 
plenty  of  good  hobnails  in  the  soles  of  his  boots  or  shoes  to 
prevent  him  from  slipping.  Despite  the  fact  that  his  attitude 
is  constituted  for  comfort  and  power,  the  player  should  guard 
against  any  tendency  to  stoop  or  to  let  his  head  fall  down.  Both 
these  faults  are  very  serious  in  some  cases,  and  are  very  difficult 
to  get  rid  of.  The  head  should  be  kept  well  up  throughout 
the  stroke,  and  the  body  should  be  held  up  as  well  as  circum- 
stances will  permit.  The  right  shoulder  may  be  dipped  a little 
at  this  point,  but  care  has  to  be  taken  that  it  is  not  let  down 
any  more  while  the  stroke  is  in  progress.  When  all  these 
arrangements  have  been  made,  and  the  club-head  is  laid  to  the 
ball,  the  sole  of  the  club,  as  I have  already  indicated,  must 
lie  flat  upon  the  turf. 

Everything  is  now  in  readiness  for  making  the  stroke,  and 
the  player  prepares  to  hit  the  ball.  He  takes  his  last  look  or 
two  in  the  direction  of  the  hole  to  satisfy  himself  thoroughly 
about  what  exactly  it  is  that  he  wants  to  do,  and  what  it  is 
necessary  to  do,  and  to  make  a final  mental  note  of  the  par- 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


35 


ticular  dangers  that  are  in  front  of  this  tee  shot,  and  how  they 
may  be  avoided.  While  he  is  doing  this  he  will  feel  the  desire 
to  indulge  in  a preliminary  waggle  of  the  club,  just  to  see  that 
his  arms  are  in  working  order,  waving  the  club-head  backwards 
and  forwards  once  or  twice  over  the  ball.  Different  players 
have  all  kinds  of  waggles,  some  slow  and  deliberate,  others 
quick  and  energetic,  and  others  again  make  all  kinds  of  fancy 
movements.  But  each  adheres  to  his  own  system  which  grows 
up  with  him,  and  without  a practice  of  which  he  would  never 
feel  quite  safe  in  attempting  a stroke.  Obviously  there  is  no 
rule  in  such  matters,  and  the  player  can  only  be  enjoined  to 
make  himself  comfortable  in  the  best  way  he  can.  But  it  is 
better  that,  during  the  last  waggle  at  any  rate,  the  eyes  should 
have  ceased  to  regard  that  point  in  the  distance  to  which  it 
is  intended  to  despatch  the  ball,  and  should  have  settled  down 
to  looking  steadily  at  the  ball  itself. 

This  brings  me  naturally  to  a repetition  of  the  most  justly 
celebrated  maxim  in  golf — “ Keep  your  eye  on  the  hail'd  There 
is  no  other  rule  which  is  half  so  valuable  and  necessary,  because 
it  is  quite  certain  that  if  you  do  not  keep  your  eye  on  it  fi  om 
the  moment  that  you  commence  your  swing  until  it  has  been 
sent  from  the  tee  no  good  whatever  can  come  of  the  stroke, 
and  the  chances  are  greatly  in  favour  of  its  being  foozled  and 
generally  ruined.  Even  players  of  long  experience . and  con- 
siderable skill,  sometimes,  as  the  result  of  over-confidence,  get 
into  the  way  now  and  again  of  temporarily  allowing  their  eyes 
to  wander,  though  they  are  unconscious  that  they  are  doing  so, 
and  the  result  is  that  their  strokes  go  wrong  and  they  cannot 
think  why.  It  seems  such  an  easy  thing  to  keep  one’s  eye  on 
the  ball,  and  yet  it  is  not  quite  so.  easy  as  it  looks.  The  time 


36  Spalding’s  Athletic  Library . 

when  it  is  most  frequently  taken  off  is  just  when  the  club  is 
coming  down  on  to  it,  and  it  is  just  the  time  when  the  mistake 
is  likely  to  prove  the  most  expensive.  The  fact  seems  to  be 
that  the  mind,  and  the  optic  nerves  through  it,  work  rather 
more  quickly  than  the  arms  and  body,  and  they  anticipate 
the  flight  of  the  ball  and  consequently  look  up  in  the  direction 
in  which  it  is  to  travel,  eager  to  see  what  has  become  of  the 
stroke.  Consequently  the  impulse  is  a natural  one  to  some 
extent,  and  as  such  will  have  to  be  very  carefully  guarded 
against.  Some  players  who  find  themselves  in  constant  trouble 
in  this  matter  have  forced  on  themselves  a rule  that  they  shall 
always  take  care  to  see  the  place  where  the  ball  was  after  it 
has  been  struck  by  the  club  before  they  look  up  to  see  what 
has  happened,  and  this  is  not  by  any  means  a bad  rule  in  such 
circumstances,  although  it  involves  keeping  the  eyes  fixed  on  the 
spot  really  rather  longer  than  is  necessary.  If  an  instantaneous 
photograph  is  taken  of  a good  player  just  at  the  moment  when 
the  ball  has  started  on  its  journey,  and  the  club  is  following 
through,  it  will  be  noticed  that  his  gaze  is  still  directed  to 
the  spot  where  the  ball  was  teed,  although  he  would  not  be 
conscious  of  the  fact.  Like  a good  many  other  things,  this 
business  which  may  be  rather  troublesome  at  first  becomes 
habit  after  a while.  There  is  only  one  other  injunction  to  make, 
and  that  is  that  the  gaze  should  be  fastened  on  to  the  side  of 
tne  ball  and  not  on  the  top  of  it,  that  is  to  say  you  must  look  at 
the  point  that  you  mean  to  hit. 


Beginning  of  the  Upward  Swing  for  Full  Drive  or  Brassey  Shot,  showing  how  the  First 
Movement  comes  almost  entirely  from  the  Wrists.  See  Chapter  VI. 


Finish  of  a Full  Drive  or  Brassey  Shot. 
See  Chapter  IX. 


Another  View  of  the  Finish  of  the  Full  Drive  or  Brassey  Shot, 
showing  the  Position  of  the  Hands  and  Arms,  and  how  the 
itody  is  brought  round  to  Face  the  Hole.  See  Chapter  IX, 


Stance  for  Drive  with  Pull. 
See  Chapter  XI. 


Stance  for  Drive  with  Slice, 
See  Chapter  XT. 


Braid  “letting  out  at  it”  in  his  Drive. 

A characteristic  finish  by  the  Champion. 


Address  with  the  Cleek, 
See  Chapter  XV. 


Finish  of  Swing  for  a Full  Cleek  Shot. 
See  Chapter  XV. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


45 


VI. 


THE  UPWARD  SWING  IN  DRIVING. 

If  I were  asked  to  say  what  is  the  most  important  movement 
in  the  whole  of  golf,  I should  say  the  upward  swing  when  it 
is  intended  to  make  a full  shot  with  either  the  driver  or  the 
brassey.  This  upward  swing  comprises  a great  deal  of  the  style 
of  a player,  and  it  generally  surprises  the  beginner  to  be  told 
that  everything  as  to  the  way  in  which  the  ball  is  hit  and 
despatched  on  its  journey  depends  on  this  backward  movement 
with  the  club.  Even  many  old  players  do  not  seem  to  have 
sufficiently  grasped  the  truth  of  the  statement,  or  if  they  have 
they  constantly  neglect  the  moral.  Although  the  up-sw7ing  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  hitting  of  the  ball,  and  it  is  only  in  the 
down-swing  that  the  latter  is  struck,  the  up-swing  is  much  the 
more  important  movement  of  the  two  inasmuch  as  whatever  it 
is  the  down-swing  is  almost  sure  to  be.  This  is  to  say  that  if 
the  up-swing  is  made  in  a mechanically  and  theoretically 
proper  manner,  it  is  unlikely  that  anything  will  go  wrong  at 
all  events  until  the  ball  has  been  hit.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
the  up-swing  is  badly  made  it  is  practically  impossible  for  the 
down-swing  to  be  right,  and  therefore  the  stroke  will  be  badly 
played  and  in  one  way  or  another  the  ball  will  refuse  to  travel 
properly.  The  first  business  of  the  young  golfer,  therefore, 
must  be  to  take  immeasurable  pains  to  make  his  up-swing 
perfect,  and  it  is  an  exercise  that  he  should  never  be  tired  of 
practising. 


46  Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

Three  important  rules  about  the  up-swing  may  be  set  down 
to  begin  with,  and  to  break  any  of  them  will  be  fatal.  In  the 
first  place,  it  must,  be  conducted  very  slowly — moderately 
“slow  back”  is  another  of  the  golden  rules  of  golf.  Secondly, 
the  head  of  the  player  must  be  kept  as  motionless  as  possible ; 
in  fact,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  it  must  be  quite  rigid  and 
motionless.  Thirdly,  the  body  also  must  be  kept  quite  still; 
that  is,  so  far  as  sideways  movements  or  swaying  backwards 
or  forwards  is  concerned.  Unless  the  strictest  attention  is 
given  to  each  of  these  points  the  whole  movement  will  go 
out  of  gear,  and  anything  like  uniformity  and  accuracy  will 
be  impossible.  The  object  is  to  bring  the  club  backwards  to 
a certain  point — generally  until  it  is  behind  the  shoulders  and 
about  horizontal — in  the  smoothest  and  easiest  manner  possible. 

With  beginners  there  may  be  a natural  impulse,  particularly 
when  they  feel  fairly  confident  about  what  they  are  going  to 
do  and  how  they  are  going  to  do  it,  to  swing  back  very  suddenly 
and  quickly  in  the  partly  unconscious  belief  that  the  quicker 
the  thing  is  done  the  harder  they  will  be  able  to  hit  the  ball. 
As  a matter  of  fact  they  will  find  that  speed  in  the  backward 
swing  rather  takes  it  off  the  forward  one  on  to  the  ball  instead 
of  increasing  it,  and,  besides  that,  tends  to  make  the  player  lose 
all  control  of  his  movements  and  of  the  command  of  his  club. 
If  either  the  head  or  the  body  are  guilty  of  any  perceptible 
movement,  there  can  be  no  rhythm  or  accuracy  of  the  stroke. 
Of  course  the  body  has  to  turn  while  the  up-swing  is  being 
made,  but  it  should  do  this  from  the  hips  alone,  so  that  the 
whole  of  the  human  machinery  seems  to  work  upon  an  axis 
at  this  point. 

Bearing  these  things  in  mind,  you  begin  the  swing.  The 


47 


Spa/ding’s  Athletic  Library . 

first  movement  must  come  from  the  wrists,  and  it  is  the  left 
one  which  makes  the  initiative.  They,  and  they  alone,  start 
the  head  of  the  club  moving  back  from  the  ball,  the  left  one 
giving  the  first  gentle  pressure  to  the  club,  while,  as  soon  as 
the  latter  begins  to  move,  the  left  elbow  begins  to  bend  slightly 
so  as  to  accommodate  itself  to  the  movement.  One  of  the 
commonest  mistakes  seen  on  the  links  is  the  breaking  of  this 
rule  by  players  who  at  the  commencement  of  their  swings, 
instead  of  letting  their  wrists  begin  the  work  in  the  manner 
indicated,  swing  away  both  arms  to  the  right  from  the  shoulder. 
This  completely  disturbs  the  whole  arrangement,  for  the  wrists, 
which  will  still  have  their  work  to  do,  will  begin  it  at  a wrong 
and  inconvenient  position,  and  a great  deal  of  power  and  sure- 
ness will  have  been  wasted.  This  fault  is  sometimes  committed 
in  the  belief  that  a very  wide  outward  and  backward  sweep  of 
the  club  is  necessary  to  the  making  of  a good  long  drive,  but 
such  is  not  the  case.  I don’t  believe  at  all  in  those  long  sweeps. 

When  the  swing  is  well  started,  that  is  to  say,  when  the  club 
has  been  taken  a matter  of  about  a couple  of  feet  from  the  ball 
it  will  become  impossible,  or  at  least  inconvenient  and  uncom- 
fortable, to  keep  the  feet  so  firmly  planted  on  the  ground  as 
they  were  when  the  address  was  made.  It  is  the  left  one  that 
wants  to  move,  and  consequently  at  this  stage  you  must  allow 
it  to  pivot.  By  this  is  meant  that  the  heel  is  raised  slightly,  and 
the  foot  turns  over  until  only  the  ball  of  it  rests  on  the  ground. 
Many  players  pivot  on  the  toe,  but  I think  this  is  not  so  safe, 
and  does  not  preserve  the  balance  so  well.  When  this  pivoting 
begins  the  weight  is  being  taken  off  the  left  leg  and  transferred 
almost  entirely  to  the  right,  and  at  the  same  moment  the  left 
knee  turns  in  towards  the  right  toe.  The  right  leg  then  stiffens 


48  Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

a little,  and  the  right  heel  is  more  firmly  than  ever  planted  on 
the  ground. 

The  continuation  of  the  up-swing  is  a simple  matter  so  long 
as  it  is  not  too  rapidly  executed.  Keep  the  right,  elbow  fairly 
well  into  the  side  of  the  body.  In  far  too  many  cases  players 
let  it  go  away  from  them  as  soon  as  the  swing  gets  under 
way,  partly,  perhaps,  with  the  idea  of  getting  that  wide  sweep 
to  which  reference  has  just  been  made.  The  only  real  result, 
however,  is  to  destroy  accuracy  and  power  and  the  whole 
beauty  of  the  movement — because  the  swing  for  the  drive  is 
really  a beautiful  movement — is  spoiled.  The  club  has  to  be 
brought  round  to  the  back  of  the  body  and  not  over  the  head. 
As  the  club  begins  to  get  round  there  the  left  wrist  must  be 
allowed  to  turn  inwards  and  underneath  the  shaft.  This  is 
very  important,  because  when  the  wrist  is  kept  alongside  or 
over  the  shaft  the  position  is  very  cramped,  the  head  of  the 
club  is  not  in  the  proper  position  for  commencing  the  down- 
ward swing,  and  all  manner  of  evils  arise  as  the  result.  If  a 
player  tries  the  swing  both  ways  he  .will  feel  at  once  the  great 
difference  in  the  comfort  and  feeling  of  control  that  he  has 
over  the  club  when  he  works  that  left  wrist  in  the  proper 
manner. 


The  black  patch  represents  the  part  of  the  sole  on  which  the  player 
should  balance  or  pivot  during  the  upward  swing  instead  of  on 
the  toe  as  is  commonly  done. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


49 


VII. 

THE  TOP  OF  THE  SWING. 

When  the  club  has  been  brought  back  in  the  way  I have 
directed,  and  when  the  wrists  have  been  allowed  to  do  their 
work  in  the  proper  manner*  it  will  be  found  that  at  the  farthest 
point  of  the  backward  swing,  or  the  top  of  the  swing  as  we 
call  it,  the  toe  of  the  club  is  facing  the  ground.  If  it  does  not 
do  so  it  is  an  absolutely  certain  sign  that  there  is  something 
seriously  wrong — generally  with  the  wrist  work — and  it  is  quite 
necessary  that  the  player  should  find  out  what  is  the  matter, 
and  set  it  right. 

The  question  arises  as  to  how  far  this  backward  swing  should 
be  prolonged.  No  very  strict  rule  can  be  laid  down  in  the 
matter,  as  it  largely  depends  on  the  peculiarities  of  the  style 
<f  play  and  also  of  the  physical  powers  of  the  player.  A 
strong  man,  flexibly  built,  and  with  powerful  wrists,  may  take 
a longer  swing,  and  take  it  with  advantage,  than  a weaker  man 
with  slender  wrists,  and  the  stiffly  built  man  will  inconvenience 
himself  very  considerably  if  he  attempts  a long  Swing.  It  does 
not  by  any  means  follow  that  the  longer  the  swing — that  is, 
when  it  is  carried  to  excess — the  longer  will  be  the  drive,  and 
there  is  certainly  some  gain  in  exactness  when  shorter  swings 
are  employed.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  player  nearly 
always  swings  much  more  than  he  thinks  he  does.  In  no  case 
do  I think  it  advisable  to  prolong  the  swing  beyond  that  point 


5°  Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

when  the  club  becomes  horizontal,  and  it  should  not  be  taken 
so  far  if  the  player  feels  that  he  is  losing  control  over  it.  That 
is  the  best  rule  in  the  matter — that  the  club  must  not  be  taken 
an  inch  farther  back  than  that  point  at  which  the  player  has 
the  fullest  and  a most  absolute  control  over  it.  If  this  is  lost 
for  an  instant  at  the  top  of  the  swing  the  gravest  consequence 
may  be  feared,  and  most  of  the  care  which  was  lavished  on  the 
preliminary  movements  will  have  been  wasted.  Besides,  in  the 
case  of  very  long  swings  there  is  always  a strong  tendency  to 
cut  the  ball.  • 

Bearing  in  mind  what  has  already  been  said  about  not  letting 
the  right  elbow  get  too  far  away  from  the  body  during  the 
upward  swing,  it  will  be  found,  or  should  be,  that  at  the  top  of 
the  swing  it  is  not  more  than  six  inches  away — that  is  to  say,  not 
an  inch  further  away  than  is  consistent  with  making  the  swing  in 
a free-and-easy  manner. 

While  it  is  of  great  importance  for  the  sake  of  both  accuracy 
and  power  that  the  swing  back  should  be  made  slowly,  as  already 
directed,  the  player  must  guard  against  any  tendency  to  make  a 
pause  at  the  top  point.  The  beginner,  in  his  deliberate  and  very 
conscious  efforts,  which  are  never  more  conscious  than  at  this 
turning-point  of  the  swing,  when  he  feels  an  enormous  sense  of 
responsibility,  regularly  comes  to  a full  stop  here,  and  the  result 
is  practically  to  destroy  all  the  value  of  the  upward  movement. 
It  is  just  the  same  as  if  the  club  had  been  poised  in  the  air  and 
the  whole  thing  begun  from  the  top  point.  There  should  be 
nothing  in  the  nature  of  a sudden  jerk  back  from  the  top  of  the 
swing ; but  the  downward  movement  should  be  begun  as  soon  as 
the  upward  one  has  ceased*  and  there  should  be  no  perceptible 
pause. 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library. 


5* 


VIII. 

THE  DOWNWARD  SWING. 

So  now  we  may  begin  the  down-swing,  which,  though  it  is  all- 
important  in  that  it  is  the  really  active  part  of  the  stroke,  the  one 
that  makes  the  ball  go,  is  in  many  of  its  features  one  which  in  the 
nature  of  things  affords  less  scope  for  effort  and  care  than  the 
upward  swing,  since,  as  already  pointed  out,  what  the  latter  is,  so 
is  the  downward  swing  almost  certain  to  be.  One  might  say  that 
the  up-swing  is  .really  the  first  half  of  the  down-swing,  and  the 
half  that  settles  what  the  whole  thing  is  going  to  be. 

The  chief  thing  to  bear  in  mind  is  that  there  must  be  in  the 
case  of  play  with  the  driver  and  the  brassey  no  attempt  to  hit 
the  ball,  which  must  be  simply  swept  from  the  tee  and  carried 
forward  in  the  even  and  rapid  swing  of  the  club.  The  drive  in 
golf  differs  from  almost  every  other  stroke  in  every  game  in  which 
the  propulsion  of  a ball  is  the  object.  In  the  ordinary  sense 
of  the  word,  implying  a sudden  and  sharp  impact,  it  is  not  a 
“hit”  when  it  is  properly  done.  When  the  ball  is  so  “hit,”  and 
the  club  stops  very  soon  afterwards,  the  result  is  that  very  little 
length  comparatively  will  be  obtained,  and  that,  moreover,  there 
will  be  a very  small  amount  of  control  over  the  direction  of 
the  ball. 

While  it  is,  of  course,  in  the  highest  degree  necessary  that  the 
ball  shall  be  taken  in  exactly  the  right  place  on  the  club  and  in 
the  right  manner,  this  will  have  to  be  done  by  the  proper  regula- 


5 2 Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 

tion  of  all  the  other  parts  of  the  swing,  and  any  effort  to  direct 
the  club  on  to  it  in  a particular  manner  just  as  the  ball  is  being 
reached  cannot  be  attended  by  success.  If  the  ball  is  taken  by 
the  toe  or  heel  of  the  club,  or  is  topped,  or  if  the  club  gets  too 
much  under-  it,  the  remedy  for  these  faults  is  not  to  be  found  in 
a more  deliberate  directing  of  the  club  on  to  the  ball  just  as  the* 
two  are  about  to  come  into  contact,  but  in  the  better  and  more 
exact  regulation  of  the  swing  the  whole  way  through  up  to  this 
point.  Something  may  be  wrong  with  the  stance,  the  body  may 
have  swayed,  the  head  may  have  been  allowed  to  move,  or  the 
movement  of  the  wrists  and  arms  may  have  been  wrong  and  not 
according  to  the  standard  directions  as  I have  just  laid  them 
down.  The  object  of  these  remarks  is  merely  to  emphasize 
again  in  the  best  place  that  the  despatching  of  the  ball  from  the 
tee  by  the  driver  in  the  downward  swing  is  merely  an  incident 
of  the  whole  business.  The  player,  in  making  the  down  move- 
ment, must  not  be  so  particular  to  see  while  doing  it  that  he  hits 
the  ball  properly  as  that  he  makes  the  swing  properly  and  finishes 
it  well,  for — and  this  signifies  the  truth  of  what  I have  been 
saying — the  success  of  the  drive  is  not  only  made  by  what  has 
gone  before,  but  it  is  also  due  largely  to  the  course  taken  by  the 
club  after  the  ball  has  been  hit. 

On  the  whole  the  player  will  be,  and  must  be,  far  less  con- 
scious of  all  the  details  of  his  action  in  the  down-swing  than 
when  he  was  taking  the  club  upwards.  Having  brought  the  club 
with  the  utmost  care  and  thought  and  attention  to  detail  to  the 
top  point,  there  is  only  one  more  thing  to  do,  and  that  is  to  finish 
off  the  swing  and  get  the  ball  away  as  rapidly  as  possible.  It  is 
only  after  the  ball  has  gone  that  consciousness  will  begin  to  fully 
assert  itself  and  enable  the  player  to  give  thought  to  the  manner 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library. 


53 


of  finishing.  In  time,  and  when  the  man  is  on  his  game,  the 
whole  thing,  from  start  to  finish,  should  be  to  a certain  extent 
mechanical. 

The  initiative  in  bringing  down  the  club  is  taken  by  the  left 
wrist,  and  the  club  is  then  brought  forward  rapidly  and  with  an 
even  acceleration  of  pace  until  the  club-head  is  about  a couple  of 
feet  from  the  ball.  So  far  the  movement  will  largely  have  been 
an  arm  movement,  but  at  this  point  there  should  be  some 
tightening  up  of  the  wrists,  and  the  club  will  be  gripped  a little 
more  tightly.  This  will  probably  come  about  naturally,  and 
though  some  authorities  have  expressed  different  opinions,  I am 
certainly  one  of  those  who  believe  that  the  work  done  by  the 
wrists  at  this  point  has  a lot  to  do  with  the  making  of  the  drive. 
It  is  merely  an  assertion  of  power  on  their  part,  and  if  it  ever 
comes  to  the  player  it  will  come  naturally  and  in  the  course  of 
experience.  Directions  about  it  cannot  be  laid  down.  Just 
when  the  wrists  begin  to  take  their  part  in  the  stroke,  when  the 
face  of  the  club  is  approaching  the  ball,  the  body  begins  to  turn 
and  the  left  knee  comes  in  quickly  from  its  pivoting  position,  so 
that  at  the  moment  of  striking  the  player  is  quite  firm  on  both 
his  feet  and  faces  directly  to  the  ball,  just  as  he  did  when  he 
was  addressing  it  before  he  began  the  upward  swing.  Any  one 
who  thinks  out  the  theory  of  the  swing  for  himself  will  see  that 
it  is  obviously  intended  that  at  the  moment  of  impact  the  player 
shall  be  just  as  he  was  when  he  addressed  the  ball,  which  is  the 
position  which  will  afford  him  most  driving  power  and  accuracy. 


54 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library . 


IX. 

FINISHING  THE  STROKE. 

The  second  that  the  ball  is  hit,  but  not  before,  the  player  should 
begin  to  turn  on  his  right  toe,  and  to  allow  a little  bend  of  the 
right  knee,  so  as  to  allow  the  right  shoulder  to  come  round  until 
the  body  .faces  the  line  of  flight  of  the  ball.  When  this  is  done 
properly  the  weight  will  be  thrown  on  to  the  left  foot,  and  the 
whole  body  will  be  thrown  slightly  forward.  The  whole  of  this 
movement  needs  very  careful  timing,  because  it  is  a very  common 
fault  with  some  players  to  let  the  body  get  in  too  soon,  and  in 
such  cases  the  stroke  is  always  ruined.  Examine  the  photo- 
graphs. 

A word  about  the  varying  pressure  of  the  grip  with  each 
hand.  In  the  address  the  left  hand  should  just  be  squeezing 
the  handle  of  the  club,  but  not  so  tightly  as  if  one  were  afraid  of 
losing  it.  The  right  hand  should  hold  the  club  a little  more 
loosely.  The  left  hand  should  hold  firmly  all  the  way  through. 
The  right  will  open  a little  at  the  top  of  the  swing  to  allow  the 
club  to  move  easily,  but  it  should  automatically  tighten  itself  in 
the  downward  swing. 

There  is  only  one  point  now  in  regard  to  the  finishing  of  the 
stroke  to  which  one  feels  that  one  should  direct  attention,  for  if 
everything  has  been  done  properly  up  to  this  point  the  accurate 
performance  of  the  rest  is  almost  inevitable.  But  there  is  a great 
tendency  on  the  part  of  some  players  to  twitch  in  their  arms  and 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library . 55 

nip  the  drive  after  the  impact  with  the  ball.  The  hands  are 
pulled  in  and  come  to  a stop  close  to  the  left  breast-pocket  of  the 
coat,  and  when  this  is  done  the  club-shaft  either  points  forward 
or  straight  up.  The  most  immature  player  will  feel  by  instinct 
that  there  is  something  wrong  about  this,  and  that  it  is  a rather 
weak  and  uncomfortable  way  of  finishing  what  was  a very  even 
and  powerful  movement.  The  fact  is  that  the  hands  have  no 
business  in  this  place,  and  their  being  there  has  prevented  the 
arms  from  going  out  and  the  club  from  getting  right  through 
with  the  stroke.  When  the  ball  has  been  swept  from  the  tee  the 
arms  should  to  a certain  extent  be  flung  out  after  it,  and  they 
should  be  carried  through  well  clear  of  the  body  until  they  come 
to  a natural  and  easy  stop  and  not  a forced  one,  just  about 
shoulder-high  but  some  distance  from  the  shoulder.  When  this 
is  done  the  club  will  have  passed  the  perpendicular  and  will  have 
travelled  a distance  towards  the  back,  which  varies  in  the  case  of 
different  players.  Some  men  go  in  for  rather  exaggerated  finishes, 
and  carry  the  club  so  far  through  that  it  comes  almost  back  to 
their  right  heel,  but  I cannot  see  that  there  is  any  advantage  in 
this  process,  so  long  as  the  finish  is  fully  executed  up  to  the  point 
I have  indicated.  When  the  arms  get  well  through,  and  the 
hands  finish  high  up  in  the  place  I have  indicated,  the  player  will 
find  that  he  experiences  a sense  of  completeness  and  satisfaction, 
even  of  exhilaration,  which  will  be  denied  to  him  if  his  drive  is 
nipped.  It  is  a very  pleasant  thing  when,  having  followed  well 
through  and  finished  the  stroke  properly,  the  ball  is  watched 
speeding  onwards  on  the  proper  line  and  with  just  the  right  angle 
of  flight  to  make  it  travel  well. 

It  is  appropriate  to  mention  at  this  point  just  a word  of 
warning  about  style.  When  you  have  followed  through  and 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


56 

finished  the  stroke  properly,  get  into  the  habit  of  retaining 
this  pleasant  position  until  the  ball  has  pretty  well  run  its 
length  and  the  time  has  come  for  your  opponent  to  take  his 
place  on  the  tee,  or,  if  he  has  already  driven,  for  you  both 
to  be  moving  on.  Some  players,  generally  those  of  a somewhat 
excitable  disposition,  get  into  the  way  of  dropping  their  club, 
or  releasing  one  hand  from  the  grip  and  dropping  it  to  the 
side,  and  of  moving  their  feet  and  bending  their  body  as  soon 
as  the  ball  has  been  struck.  Perhaps  if  they  quite  realised 
how  badly  the  appearance  of  such  a proceeding  compares 
with  that  of  a finish  in  the  proper  manner  they  would  be 
more  anxious  to  get  out  of  the  habit  than  they  often  are. 

As  a final  injunction,  one  would  again  urge  the  importance 
of  keeping  the  body  perfectly  steady  not  only  during  the 
upward  swing,  as  already  emphasised,  but  during  the  down- 
ward swing  until  the  ball  has  gone,  and  the  head  all  this 

time  should  be  perfectly  motionless  with  the  eye  glued  on 

to  the  back  of  the  ball.  If  the  body  keeps  to  its  original 
position  and  turns  from  the  waist,  and  the  head  remains  still, 
it  Should  be  found  that  at  the  top  of  the  swing  the  eyes  are 

looking  over  the  left  shoulder  which  will  be  in  a direct  line 

between  the  head  and  the  ball. 


GOOD  DRIVES  AND  BAD 

1.  The  straight  ball  usually  the  best. 

2.  A ball  that  begins  with  a little  pull  and  comes  round  again^ 

generally  a fine  traveller. 

3.  Slightly  pulled — fairly  long. 

4.  More  pull ; trouble  likely. 

5.  Sliced  and  length  lost. 

6.  Bad  Slice;  the  worst  ball  of  all. 

See  Chapter  X. 


58 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


Xo 

THE  LONG  BALL. 

It  will  be  seen  that  although  the  drive  may  look  a very 
simple  thing  when  being  performed  by  a capable  player,  it  is 
in  reality  a fairly  complicated  set  of  movements,  all  of  which 
have  to  fit  into  each  other  with  the  utmost  nicety,  and  the 
least  deviation  from  absolute  correctness  in  the  case  of  any 
one  of  them  is  sufficient  to  throw  the  whole  thing  out  of  gear 
and  ruin  the  stroke,  and  how  easily  ruined  it  is  only  golfers 
of  experience  know.  It  is  too  much  to  expect  of  any  young 
player  that  he  will  achieve  really  good  results  in  driving  until 
he  has  practised  most  diligently  for  some  considerable  time 
and  indeed  he  will  hardly  drive  a good  ball  until  the  actual 
driving  has  to  a large  extent  ceased  to  worry  him  and  he  has 
commenced  to  do  it  half  naturally  and  unconsciously. 

The  more  naturally  the  swing  is  made  and  the  more  perfect 
the  movements  the  longer  will  the  drive  become  in  due  course, 
and  one  must  warn  the  novice  against  striving  too  much  to 
hit  long  balls.  In  a large  measure  they  must  be  left  to  come 
of  themselves,  and  any  attempt  to  get  them  by  force,  or  by 
“ pressing,”  is  almost  certain  to  have  disastrous  results.  By 
this  I do  not  mean  to  say  that  when  the  upward  and  down- 
ward swings  are  perfectly  executed  the  application  of  strength 
and  force  in  the  second  half  of  the  proceeding  will  not  result 
in  a gain  of  distance,  because  it  is  evident  that  many  players 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


59 


get  their  long  balls  in  this  way,  but  it  is  not  safe  to  force  the 
drive  until  the  player  is  very  experienced  and  his  style  and 
methods  have  become  quite  settled.  The  beginner  should 
make  it  his  sole  object  to  make  his  swings  properly,  to  hit 
the  ball  as  it  ought  to  be  hit,  and  to  send  it  straight  along 
the  line  without  either  pull  or  slice  and  at  just  the  proper 
height.  If  he  does  this  he  will  find  that  very  gradually  but 
very  surely  length  will  come  of  itself,  and  that  really  long  balls 
may  be  got  without  any  apparent  extra  effort  of  strength.  If 
he  watches  the  great  players  he  will  find  that  many  of  them 
drive  balls  practically  as  far  as  it  is  humanly  possible  to  do 
under  present  conditions  without  any  such  apparent  effort, 
and  one  is  therefore  inclined  to  say  that  perfect  skill  combined 
with  a moderate  amount  of  strength  is  what  is  most  neces- 
sary for  this  purpose.  Certainly  I would  say  that  the  secret 
of  the  long  ball  is  not  absolutely  strength,  for  I think  that 
looseness  of  limb  has  more  to  do  with  it  than  that. 

For  the  rest,  the  art  of  driving  the  very  long  ball  seems  to 
be  more  or  less  of  a natural  gift.  Some  men  can  do  it,  and 
others  can’t  and  never  will  however  much  they  try,  and  that 
seems  to  be  the  end  of  it.  My  own  experience  rather  suggests 
that  there  is  something  too  mysterious  about  the  business  for 
explanation,  because  though  I am  considered  to  be  a long 
driver  in  these  days,  and  am  generally  capable  of  holding  my 
own  in  this  respect,  this  was  not  always  the  case,  and  the 
change  not  only  came  about  suddenly  but  in  a manner  that 
I have  never  been  able  to  explain  with  the  least  degree  of 
satisfaction  to  myself  or  to  any  one  else.  In  my  younger  days 
I was  quite  a short  driver,  and  in  my  matches  with  my  friends 
I was  constantly  outdriven,  so  that  I was  always  having  to 


6o 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


right  hard  in  the  short  game.  It  seemed  that  my  failing  in 
this  respect  would  be  fatal  to  me  and  to  my  prospects  of 
success,  when  suddenly,  without  any  warning  and  without  any 
conscious  alteration  of  any  of  my  methods,  I began  to  drive 
a great  length,  and  instead  of  being  outdriven  I began  to 
outdrive  all  my  opponents.  I actually  put  on  forty  yards  in 
a fortnight,  and  those  forty  yards,  with  perhaps  a few  more 
to  keep  them  company,  I have  retained  ever  since,  never 
having  gone  back  to  my  old  short-driving  experiences.  How 
this  came  about  is  the  greatest  mystery  of  my  golfing  career, 
and  I shall  never  be  able  to  solve  it.  It  certainly  was  not 
strength  that  did  it. 

Therefore  I strongly  advise  all  young  players  against  pressing 
for  the  long  ball.  If  they  are  to  be  any  good  at  the  game  it 
will  be  necessary  for  them  to  drive  a reasonable  length,  say 
a hundred  and  eighty  yards,  with  a fair  degree  of  regularity, 
but  this  can  be  done  without  any  application  of  great  strength 
— simply  by  perfect  accuracy  of  swing  and  proper  timing — 
and  when  they  have  got  to  that  point  of  reliability  that  they 
can  depend  upon  driving  so  far  on  the  majority  of  occasions 
I would  recommend  to  them  that  for  the  future  instead  of 
trying  to  drive  farther  and  farther,  as  the  majority  of  them 
do,  with  the  result  that  a fair  proportion  of  their  shots  are 
spoiled  in  the  endeavour,  they  should  instead  concentrate  all 
their  efforts  on  getting  straighter  and  straighter  every  time. 
They  will  find  this  a far  more  profitable  study  than  that  of 
how  to  get  the  long  ball,  even  if  their  researches  in  the  latter 
direction  should  prove  successful. 


Top  of  Swing  for  a Full  Iron  Shot. 
See  Chapter  XVL 


Finish  of  a Full  Iron  Shot. 
See  Chapter  XVI. 


Address  for  Approach  Stroke  with  Mashie. 
See  Chapter  XVIII. 


Finish  of  Approach  Shot  with  the  Mashie. 
See  Chapter  XVIII. 


Stance  and  Address  for  Bunker  Stroke  with  Niblick 
See  Chapter  XIX. 


Finish  of  Bunker  Stroke  with  Niblick. 
See  Chapter  XIX 


Address  for  an  Approach  with  the  Niblick. 
See  Chapter  XIX. 


Finish  of  Approach  with  Niblick, 
See  Chapter  XIX, 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


69 


XI, 


PULLING  AND  SLICING. 

To  pull  and  to  slice  is  both  a fault  and  an  acquisition, 
according  to  whether  it  is  accidental  or  intentional.  The 
beginner  is  not  often  troubled  by  pulling,  but  he  very  fre- 
quently suffers  from  badly  sliced  balls,  and  they  not  only 
land  him  in  bunkers  and  in  the  rough  grass,  but  they  take 
all  the  length  off  his  drive  and  cause  him  the  greatest 
exasperation.  It  is  very  difficult  to  set  down  in  writing  any 
cure  for  slicing,  because  it  may  be  caused  in  so  many 
different  ways,  and  frequently  the  very  slightest  adjustment 
of  the  stance  or  the  swing  is  all  that  is  necessary.  It  may  be 
pointed  out,  however,  that  what  really  makes  the  slice  is  the 
drawing  of  the  face  of  the  club  across  the  ball  at  the  moment 
of  impact.  This  may  be  done  in  several  different  ways,  but 
when  unintentional  it  is  most  commonly  due  either  to  the 
pulling  in  of  the  arms  as  soon  as  the  ball  has  been  struck  or 
to  a faulty  stance — with  the  right  foot  too  far  forward.  In 
each  case  the  cure  here  is  obvious,  but  when  a young  player 
has  got  a really  bad  attack  of  slicing,  which  he  cannot  get 
rid  of,  he  should  without  delay  consult  his  professional,  who 
will  generally  be  able  to  set  him  right  in  a very  few  minutes. 
In  the  same  way  pulling,  when  accidental  and  not  wanted, 
is  brought  about  through  many  different  faults,  but  it  is 
chiefly  due  to  improper  stance,  to  bad  timing,  or  to  over- 


70 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


work  by  the  right  hand.  As  before,  ask  the  professional 
to  put  you  right. 

Sometimes  players  wish  to  do  these  things  deliberately,  as 
when  a pulled  or  sliced  ball  will  get  them  round  an  obstacle 
which  is  in  their  way  to  the  hole  without  putting  them  to  the 
necessity  of  going  over  it,  a course  which  might  often  mean 
a high  ball  and  one  which  was  consequently  devoid  of  length. 
However,  I feel  much  diffidence  in  giving  any  instruction  on 
these  points.  For  one  thing,  by  the  time  the  player  comes  to  be 
so  expert  and  to  have  so  much  command  over  his  club  as  to  feel 
any  ambitions  of  this  kind  he  will  have  got  very  far  from  the 
beginner’s  stage,  and  he  will  really  not  be  in  need  of  instruction 
as  to  how  to  do  these  shots ; and,  on  the  other  hand,  a player 
would  be  very  ill  advised  to  attempt  any  tricks  of  this  kind  until 
he  has  obtained  this  complete  mastery  over  his  club  and  is 
expert  in  the  ordinary  strokes  of  the  game.  Besides,  a man  who 
can  drive  a straight  and  sure  ball  will  generally  find  that  he  can 
adapt  himself  to  practically  all  the  varying  circumstances  of  the 
game,  and  the  way  to  win  matches  is  generally  to  play  straight 
to  the  hole.  He  who  is  straightest  most  frequently  wins.  I 
would  only  hint  that  the  most  elementary  direction  for  obtaining 
the  sliced  ball  is  to  take  your  stance  with  your  right  foot 
advanced  and  so  that  the  ball  is  more  in  a line  with  the  left 
heel’than  in  the  case  of  an  ordinary  stroke  with  a wooden  club, 
while  to  get  the  pulled  ball  the  right  foot  should  be  drawn  back 
and  the  sphere  should  be  more  towards  the  right,  or  about  mid- 
way between  the  feet.  The  pulled  ball  is  always  more  difficult 
to  obtain,  and  especially  to  control,  than  the  sliced  ball. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


XII. 

PLAYING  IN  A WIND. 

I should  say  something  about  playing  the  long  game  whc., 
a wind  is  blowing,  which  is  a circumstance  constantly  en- 
countered. In  this  matter,  at  all  events,  the  player  of  a very 
little  experience  may  be  permitted  to  attempt  some  adaptation 
of  his  play  to  the  prevailing  conditions,  for  it  is  easily  done,  and 
involves  no  very  great  deviation  from  ordinary  methods.  In  the 
first  place,  I would  say  that  it  is  a very  good  thing  to  shorten 
the  swing  on  a windy  day,  no  matter  from  what  point  of  the 
compass  the  wind  is  blowing.  There  is  always  a little  tendency 
to  unsteadiness  when  the  wind  is  blowing  strongly.  The  player 
is  not  quite  so  comfortable  as  usual,  and  if  he  shortens  his  swing 
he  will  probably  achieve  some  extra  confidence.  Moreover,  I 
also  recommend  that  when  playing  both  up  and  down  the  wind 
the  upward  and  downward  swings  should  be  rather  slower  than 
usual.  I find  that  the  effect  is  advantageous  in  both  cases. 
When  playing  against  the  wind  the  ball  always  seems  to  me  to 
bore  its  way  better  through  it  when  hit  slowly  than  when  the 
swing  has  been  quickly  made,  while  with  the  wind  the  slow 
swing  seems  to  give  the  ball  more  time  to  rise  and  get  the 
advantage  of  what  is  blowing. 

In  the  case  of  cross-winds  I would  not  advise  young  players 
to  attempt  any  greater  deviation  from  their  usual  game  than 
is  comprised  in  the  very  simple  process  of  making  a certain 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 73 

allowance  for  the  wind  in  the  direction  in  which  the  ball  is  hit, 
and  when  this  is  properly  done  it  ought  to  be  sufficient  for 
anything.  When  the  wind  is  blowing  from  the  front  against 
the  player  he  may  go  so  far  as  to  stand  a little  more  in  front 
of  the  ball,  keep  his  weight  rather  more  forward,  and  take  pains 
to  hold  his  right  shoulder  well  up  throughout  the  stroke.  The 
result  of  these  slight  variations  from  the  usual  course  of  pro- 
cedure  is  to  keep  the  ball  low  down,  for  it  is  only  a low  ball, 
with  a lot  of  driving  power  in  it,  that  stands  any  chance  of 
getting  distance  when  the  wind  is  coming  up  strongly  from  the 
front.  In  the  reverse  case,  when  you  are  playing  down  the  wind 
the  object  is  to  get  the  ball  up  fairly  high — not  forgetting,  of 
course,  to  get  the  driving  power  into  it  as  well — so  that  the  wind 
may  get  fairly  hold  of  it  and  help  it  along.  In  this  case,  if 
it  is  a tee  shot  the  ball  may  be  teed  a little  higher  than  usual, 
bearing  in  mind  that  small  trifles  of  this  kind  go  a very  long  way, 
and  the  player  may  take  his  stance  a little  more  to  the  right, 
or  behind  the  ball,  and  allow  his  right  shoulder  to  droop  a little 
more — a proceeding,  however,  which  must  be  conducted  with 
the  utmost  caution,  since  dropping  the  right  shoulder  is  often 
a dangerous  fault  in  beginners,  and  one  which  they  have 
difficulty  in  getting  out  of. 


74 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


XIII. 

BRASSEY  PLAY. 

To  all  intents  and  purposes  a brassey  shot  is  simply  a tee  shot 
without  the  tee,  and  all  that  has  been  said  about  driving  in  the 
foregoing  pages  applies  to  play  with  the  brassey.  The  object  in 
each  case  is  to  drive  the  ball  as  far  as  possible  in  the  direction 
of  the  hole,  and  with  this  in  view  a similar  type  of  wooden  club 
is  employed  both  times.  The  only  material  difference  is  that 
whereas  in  the  case  of  the  tee  shot  the  player  is  given  everything 
in  his  favour  and  is  allowed  to  pick  and  choose  the  place  where 
he  will  play  from  and  to  tee  up  the  ball  exactly  to  his  liking, 
he  must  in  the  case  of  the  brassey  shot  that  follows  take  the 
circumstances  as  he  finds  them,  whether  they  are  good  or  bad. 
If  the  tee  shot  was  a good  one  the  chances  are  that  he  will  be 
provided  with  a ball  lying  nicely  for  his  second  shot,  as  he 
deserves  to  be,  and  he  may  count  himself  unlucky  if  he  has  any 
material  difficulties  to  face  in  the  matter  of  lie  or  stance.  But  if 
the  least  thing  went  wrong  with  the  drive,  or  if  the  direction  was 
not  good,  it  might  very  likely  happen  that  when  the  time  came 
for  the  second  shot  to  be  played  it  would  be  found  that  neither 
the  lie  nor  the  stance  were  quite  what  they  might  be  desired  to 
be.  So  many  beginners  take  their  brassey  as  a matter  of  course 
for  the  second  shot,  if  it  ought  to  be  a long  one,  that  it  may  be 
timely  to  suggest  to  them  that  they  should  more  frequently  ask 
themselves  the  question  when  they  come  to  the  ball  whether  the 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


75 


lie  is  really  one  that  justifies  the  use  of  the  brassey,  because 
if  it  does  not  the  chances  of  failure  are  very  great,  whereas  by 
sacrificing  a little  distance  a fair  amount  of  success  may  be 
guaranteed  by  the  use  of  an  iron  club.  While  you  do  not  want 
a teed  ball  for  play  with  the  brassey,  the  lie  must  always  be 
reasonably  good,  that  is  to  say  the  ball  must  be  standing  fairly 
well  up  on  the  top  of  the  turf,  and  there  must  be  a clear 
approach  to  it  for  the  club.  If  it  is  at  all  cupped,  or  if  there 
are  obstructions  about  it  which  will  prevent  the  wooden  club 
from  getting  quite  cleanly  to  it,  it  will  be  far  better  to  choose 
the  iron  which  is  best  adapted  to  the  circumstances,  although 
many  players  are  expert  at  manipulating  their  brasseys  in  all 
kinds  of  disheartening  situations,  as  they  have  to  be  when  they 
get  into  the  higher  classes  of  golf  and  are  set  the  task  of  winning 
or  halving  holes  from  opponents  who  know  every  shot  in  the 
game,  and  who  have  had  better  luck  with  some  of  their  strokes 
from  the  tee. 

A word  may  usefully  be  said  about  the  club.  The  brassey  is, 
or  ought  to  be,  a driver  pure  and  simple,  with  only  such  modi- 
fications as  are  rendered*  necessary  by  the  slightly  different 
character  of  its  work,  and  such  as  would  almost  suggest  them- 
selves to  the  most  inexperienced  player.  For  example,  we  sole 
the  club  with  a thin  sheath  of  brass  for  its  better  protection  and 
because  the  club-head  then  goes  more  smoothly  and  easily  to 
the  ball.  We  generally  put  a little  more  loft  on  to  the  face  of  the 
club  because  it  has  to  do  the  work  of  picking  the  ball  up  from 
the  turf,  whereas  the  driver  with  its  straight  face  had  the  ball 
already  sitting  up  for  it  clear  of  the  ground  and  only  needing  to 
be  driven  forward.  Care  should  be  taken,  however,  that  too 
much  loft  is  not  put  on  the  face  of  the  brassey.  A very  little  is 


76  Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

all  that  is  necessary,  but  some  players  with  a limited  experience 
whenever  they  find  difficulty  with  their  brassey,  and  particularly 
when  it  seems  to  them  a very  hard  thing  to  get  the  ball  up,  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  something  wrong  with  the  club, 
and  then  they  take  it  to  the  club-maker’s  shop  and  ask  for  a little 
more  loft  to  be  filed  on  to  it.  Not  only  does  it  generally  happen 
that  the  trouble  from  which  they  suffered  before  is  still  as  bad  as 
ever,  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  after  all  it  is  desired  to 
get  length  with  the  brassey,  and  that  there  is  no  compatability 
between  length  and  loft,  so  that  they  have  materially  damaged 
the  driving  powers  of  their  club.  A professional  is  in  the  first 
instance  very  unlikely  to  put  into  the  hands  of  a player  a club 
which  has  not  got  enough  loft  on  it  to  get  the  ball  up  from  any 
ordinary  lie.  Then  it  often  happens  that  the  face  of  the  club 
is  rather  shorter  than  that  of  the  driver,  particularly  at  the 
bottom,  so  that  it  requires  less  room  to  get  at  the  ball  and 
encounters  less  obstruction  in  case  the  lie  is  very  grassy  or  other- 
wise a trifle  thick.  I must  say,  however,  that  I am  rather  against 
the  extremely  short  faces  that  have  been  put  on  brasseys  during 
the  last  year  or  two  by  many  makers.,  I don’t  see  that  they  are 
necessary,  and  they  must  to  some  extent  increase  the  risk  of  the 
stroke  being  a failure.  Some  people  recommend  that  the  brassey 
should  be  slightly — generally  about  an  inch — shorter  than  the 
driver  used  by  the  same  player ; but  I cannot  understand  why 
chey  do  so,  and  as  the  object  is  to  play  the  stroke  in  the  same 
way  as  when  driving  from  the  tee  the  suggestion  seems  opposed 
to  reason.  The  brassey  should  be  about  the  same  length  as  the 
driver.  I might  add  that  my  own  brassey  is  the  same  length  as 
my  driver.  Care  must  be  taken  that  the  lie  of  the  brassey 
matches  that  of  the  driver,  and  it  is  neglect  of  this  rather 


77 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

obvious  point  that  causes  many  of  the  difficulties  of  young 
players.  They  choose  a driver  to  suit  them,  and  then  they 
select  a brassey  which  they  think  is  just  what  they  want  without 
ever  taking  the  trouble  to  see  that  both  have  the  same  angles 
of  lies,  which  they  should  have  if  the  same  kind  of  stance  is  to 
be  adopted  in  each  case.  If  this  precaution  is  not  adopted  the 
player  may  be  called  upon  to  play  a quite  different  game  with 
his  brassey  from  that  to  which  he  has  become  accustomed  with 
his  driver,  if  he  is  to  obtain  anything  approximating  to  the  same 
results,  or  if  he  does  not,  he  is  almost  sure  to  fail  altogether. 
The  driver  and  the  brassey  should  be  perfect  duplicates  in  this 
matter.  As  a final  word  about  the  club,  it  should  usually  have 
a fairly  stiff  shaft,  as  it  is  sometimes  called  upon  to  execute 
rather  rougher  work  than  is  ever  demanded  of  the  driver. 

When  he  has  the  right  kind  of  club  in  his  hands  the  player 
in  attempting  a brassey  shot  has  only  to  play  it  in  the  same 
way  as  when  driving,  but  instead  of  looking  at  the  side  of  the 
ball  he  may  be  recommended  to  keep  his  eyes  on  the  grass 
immediately  behind  it.  This  should  ensure  his  hitting  the  ball 
in  the  right  place.  He  must  get  out  of  his  mind  at  the  very 
beginning  a little  idea  that  is  very  likely  to  get  into  it,  which 
is  that  the  player  himself  must  do  something  considerable 
towards  getting  the  ball  up  from  its  low  lie — something,  that 
is,  that  he  had  not  to  do  when  driving.  This  idea  results  very 
frequently  in  his  dipping  his  right  shoulder  and  trying  to 
scoop  the  ball  up,  and  it  is  very  seldom  that  anything  like 
a good  shot  is  ever  made  out  of  such  attempts.  The  player 
must  be  brought  to  realise  that  his  club  is  specially  designed 
for  getting  the  ball  up,  and  if  he  takes  it  cleanly  and  properly 
the  work  will  be  well  done  without  any  further  assistance. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


79 


XIV 

PLAY  WITH  IRON  CLUBS. 

I have  devoted  so  much  space  to  the  play  with  the  wooden 
clubs  because  the  man  who  learns  to  play  fairly  reliably  with 
them  has  laid  the  foundations  of  a good  game,  and  in  the 
majority  of  cases  he  will  then  get  on  pretty  well  with  his  irons, 
although  they  require  different  treatment.  Still,  in  the  main 
the  principles  are  the  same,  and  have  only  to  Jbe  adapted  to 
the  special  requirements  of  the  different  clubs  and  the  needs 
of  the  situation.  When  one  plays  with  the  driver  and  the 
brassey  the  object  generally  is  to  get  as  far  as  possible  ; but 
when  the  distance  it  is  required  to  get  is  less  than  that  which 
may  be  achieved  by  a full  shot  with  either  wooden  club  one 
or  other  of  the  various  iron  instruments  is  generally  taken.  It 
is  taken  into  account  also  that  when  the  distance  is  compara- 
tively short  in  this  way  it  is  generally  required  to  be  more 
exact  in  the  placing  of  the  ball.  The  hole  will  usually  be 
within  reach,  and  it  is  now  desired  to  get  as  near  to  it  as  pos- 
sible with  a view  perhaps  of  saving  a stroke  or  to  making  the 
final  stages  of  the  short  game  as  easy  and  certain  as  possible. 
In  a word,  distance  is  now  to  be  sacrificed  to  accuracy. 

Broadly  speaking  there  are  five  different  classes  of  irons,  for 
each  of  which  there  is  a special  use.  First  there  is  the  cleek, 
with  which  a good  player  can  get  pretty  nearly  as  far  as  with 
a brassey,  and  which  he  uses  either  when  the  distance  is 


80  Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

rather  under  that  of  a brassey  or  for  a long,  low  approach 
of  practically  brassey  distance,  but  which  calls  for  special 
accuracy  in  direction.  Some  players  carry  both  a cleek  and 
a driving  mashie  in  their  bags,  and  have  uses  for  each,  but 
as  a rule  they  are  employed  for  the  same  purpose,  and  some 
players  who  find  that  they  cannot  get  on  well  with  one  play 

the  same  kind  of  shot  with  the  other.  The  difference  is  that 

the  driving  mashie  has  generally  a shorter  and  deeper  blade 
than  the  cleek,  and  is  slightly  heavier.  It  is  a great  favourite 
with  many  golfers,  but  those  who  are  masters  of  the  cleek 
have  a great  preference  for  the  latter.  After  the  cleek  and 
the  driving  mashie  comes  the  iron,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
generally  useful  clubs  that  are  carried.  It  is  used  for  shots 
of  medium  length,  say  from  a hundred  up  to  a hundred  and 
thirty  or  forty  yards.  Its  blade  is  fairly  long  and  moderately 
deep,  and  it  has  some  considerable  loft  on  it,  so  that  when 
the  ball  is  struck  it  lifts  it  up  into  the  air.  In  this  way 

obstructions  between  the  player  and  the  green  are  sur- 

mounted, and  the  high  ball  does  not  run  so  much  when  it 
comes  to  the  turf,  so  that  its  final  resting-place  can  be  fairly 
accurately  gauged.  Next  there  is  the  mashie,  which  is  a club 
with  a short  and  deep  blade  on  which  there  is  a great  deal  of 
loft.  This  club  is  only  used  for  very  short  shots  of  rarely 
more  than  a hundred  yards  at  the  outside,  and  its  special 
purpose  is  to  pitch  the  ball  high  up  so  that  it  will  not  only 
clear  all  the  bunkers  guarding  the  hole  but  will  drop  it  almost 
dead  on  to  the  green  without  any  run  on  it.  If  a short 
approach  shot  of  this  character  were  played  with  a club 
which  had  not  so  much  loft  on  it  the  ball  would  be  kept  too 
J*vw  and  would  as  a result  have  a lot  of  run  on  it,  so  that  it 


Spalding' s Athletic  Library . 81 

would  be  very  difficult  to  play  it  so  exactly  as  to  guarantee 
the  ball  pulling  up  in  that  close  proximity  to  the  hole  that  is 
desired.  Although  the  principles  of  play  with  it  are  very 
simple,  the  mashie  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  of  all  clubs  to 
use  really  well,  and  it  is  one  in  regard  to  which  good  play 
pays  exceedingly. 

Of  the  remaining  clubs  there  is  the  niblick,  which  is  a very 
heavy  tool  with  much  loft  on  it,  and  which  is  generally 
employed  for  delivering  the  ball  from  sand  bunkers  and 
coarse,  rough  obstructions  of  all  kinds  into  which  either  the 
bad  play  or  the  bad  luck  of  the  golfer  has  placed  it,  and  for 
which  cases  the  lighter  and  more  delicate  iron  clubs  would 
be  quite  useless.  Some  players,  however,  have  much  finer 
uses  for  the  niblick,  and  find  it  to  be  a very  effective  club  for 
making  short  lofted  approaches,  as  with  it  the  ball  can  be 
stopped  quite  dead  on  its  reaching  the  green.  The  fifth  iron 
club  is  the  putter,  which,  as  its  name  implies,  is  used  to  putt 
the  ball  into  the  hole — the  last  stroke  in  the  play  at  each  hole 
and  one  which  must  obviously  be  the  most  delicate  and  exact 
of  all.  There  are  scores  of  kinds  of  putters,  and  some  of 
them  are  not  made  of  iron  at  all,  favourite  patterns  being  in 
aluminium  or  wood. 

Concerning  the  details  of  stance  and  swing  with  each  of 
these  clubs  I shall  have  a little  to  say  in  due  course,  but, 
speaking  generally,  I would  remark  here  at  the  outset  that  I 
do  not  favour  taking  a full  shot  with  any  of  them  unless 
special  circumstances  render  it  absolutely  necessary,  except 
perhaps  with  the  cleek.  The  iron  clubs  are  heavier  than  the 
wooden  ones,  and  are  consequently  more  under  control,  and 
it  will  be  found  that  with  a three-quarter  swing  they  wiil  be 


Diagram  showing  the  angles  of  loft  on  the  faces  of  different  clubs, 
as  measured  on  a standard  set.  See  Chapter  III. 


The  black  patch  represents  the  correct  place  for  taking  turf.  The 
mistake  is  often  made  of  taking  it  much  more  behind  the  ball. 
See  page  49. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 83 

still  more  under  control,  and  there  will  be,  or  should  be,  a 
corresponding  gain  in  accuracy  which  is  all-important.  By 
a three-quarter  swing  one  means  a swing  in  which  the  club 
is  carried  back  for  only  about  three-quarters  of  the  distance 
that  it  would  be  taken  when  making  a full  shot  with  the 
driver,  that  is  to  say  not  so  far  as  the  horizontal.  A con- 
siderable amount  of  practice  may  be  needed  to  regulate  these 
swings,  but  the  player  will  come  to  make  them  with  great 
accuracy  if  he  perseveres. 

The  play  with  all  iron  clubs  differs  from  that  with  wooden 
ones  in  another  important  respect,  which  is  that  with  them 
the  stroke  is  always  much  more  of  a hit.  I have  impressed 
it  on  the  reader  that  when  driving  the  ball  you  do  not  hit  it, 
but,  so  to  speak,  sweep  it  off  its  resting-place ; but  when 
playing  it  with  an  iron  you  do  hit  it  a sharp,  sudden  blow, 
and  the  follow-through  is  of  much  less  importance  than  in  case 
of  tee  and  brassey  shots,  and  is  really  only  of  any  importance 
at  all  in  so  far  that  it  shows  whether  the  upward  swing  was 
properly  made  or  not.  The  strongest  iron  players  always 
make  a hit  pure  and  simple  at  the  ball.  Partly  for  this 
reason,  and  partly  to  gain  greater  accuracy  of  direction  and 
greater  control  over  the  club  the  irons  are  gripped  much  more 
tightly  with  the  right  hand.  Both  hands  hold  them  very 
firmly  indeed,  but  the  right  hand  takes  the  command,  as  it 
did  not  do  in  the  case  of  the  wooden  tools.  This  difference 
is  of  the  utmost  importance.  This  may  or  may  not  be  the 
chief  cause  of  the  tendency  to  pull  with  all  irons  that  I have 
constantly  noticed  is  the  case.  This  tendency  has  always 
been  rather  a puzzle  to  me,  but  anyhow  it  is  not  a very 
serious  matter. 


84  Spalding’s  Athletic  Library . 

As  the  irons  have  generally  shorter  shafts  and  more  upright 
lies  the  player  stands  closer  to  his  ball  than  when  he  was 
playing  with  his  driver  and  brassey.  Also  my  own  stance  is 
more  open  ; that  is  to  say,  I have  my  right  foot  a little  farther 
in  front  of  the  left  when  addressing  the  ball  ; but  I am  not  sure 
that  I would  recommend  this  course  of  procedure  to  the 
beginner.  He  will  perhaps  do  better  work,  at  the  outset  at 
all  events,  if  he  maintains  the  same  kind  of  stance  with  most 
of  his  irons  as  he  did  in  the  case  of  his  driver. 

Another  general  feature  of  the  play  with  the  irons  that  calls 
for  mention  in  these  preliminary  remarks  is  that  in  most  cases 
one  takes  a little  turf  when  playing  the  stroke.  In  driving  the 
object  is  always  to  hit  the  ball  as  cleanly  as  possible,  and  the 
less  interference  the  club  gets  from  the  turf  the  better.  But 
it  is  not  the  same  with  the  irons,  and  it  will  be  found  that 
in  their  case  if  the  sole  of  the  club  cuts  through  a little  piece 
of  the  turf  when  it  is  taking  hold  of  the  ball  there  is  not  only 
no  appreciable  loss  in  power,  but  a great  steadying  influence 
is  obtained,  and  the  ball  flies  more  accurately.  Many  players, 
however,  make  the  mistake  of  taking  the  turf  too  far  behind 
the  ball.  It  will  take  them  some  time  to  perform  these  delicate 
operations  with  any  certainty  of  success,  but  when  they  come 
to  have  complete  command  over  their  clubs  they  will  do  well 
to  cultivate  the  practice  of  just  hitting  the  ball  first  and  then 
driving  the  club  through  it,  as  it  were,  and  taking  a piece  of 
turf  from  underneath  it.  It  will  be  found  that  the  flight  of 
the  ball  is  very  steady  when  this  is  done.  With  this  brief 
introduction  we  may  pass  on  to  the  consideration  of  the  special 
shots  with  each  class  of  iron  club. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library 


8$ 


XV. 


CLEEK  SHOTS. 

For  some  reason  many  players  find  the  cleek  a most  difficult 
club  to  play  with,  and  after  years  of  perseverance  with  it  they 
give  it  up  and  refuse  to  carry  if  in  their  bags,'  consoling 
themselves  with  the  reflection  that  it  is  not  much  use  after 
all,  and  that  they  can  do  quite  as  well  with  a driving  mashie 
or  with  a straight-faced  iron.  They  may  get  very  good  results 
from  the  latter,  but  I am  a firm  believer  in  the  cleek,  and  I do 
not  think  that  any  man  can  consider  himself  quite  proficient 
at  the  game  until  he  has  obtained  a certain  amount  of  command 
over  it,  and  plays  with  it  regularly  when  it  seems  to  be  the 
proper  club  for  the  occasion.  A variety  of  very  pretty  work 
can  be  got  from  the  cleek  as  can  be  got  from  no  other  club, 
and  I strongly  advise  the  beginner  to  persevere  with  its  use  at 
the  outset  of  his  career,  as  if  he  does  not  he  may  always  be 
sorry  for  not  having  done  so.  I have  already  suggested  that 
the  object  when  playing  with  the  cleek  is  to  get  a long  ball, 
perhaps  a little  shorter  than  that  which  would  be  got  with  the 
brassey,  and  as  straight  as  it  is  possible  to  get  it.  Many  good 
players  constantly  get  a distance  of  two  hundred  yards  with 
their  cleeks,  but  generally  a hundred  and  seventy  or  there- 
abouts is  the  recognised  distance  for  this  club,  and  it  is  regu- 
larly used  for  one-shot  holes  where  the  one  shot  is  a full  one 
and  the  object  is  to  place  the  ball  as  near  to  the  pin  as  possible. 


eo  Spaldings  Athletic  Library . 

I should  explain  in  passing,  in  case  it  may  be  necessary  to  any 
very  inexperienced  reader,  that  a one-shot  hole  means  a hole 
which  is  meant  to  be  reached  with  one  shot  from  the  tee,  and 
at  which  the  player  ought  to  hole  out  in  3 (allowing  two  putts), 
or  with  a little  luck  in  2.  A 4 at  such  a hole  represents  bad 
play.. 

The  cleek  should  be  not  more  than  an  inch  or  two  shorter 
than  the  driver,  and  this  similarity  in  length  tends  to  induce 
a certain  amount  of  similarity  in  playing  with  it.  Take  your 
stance  just  so  much  nearer  to  the  ball  as  is  necessitated  by  this 
shorter  club,  so  that  when  you  are  addressing  you  feel  the 
same  amount  of  comfort  and  confidence,  and  generally  feel 
that  you  are  able  to  do  much  the  same  kind  of  shot.  As  I 
have  said,  in  my  own  play  I advance  the  right  foot  a little, 
but  I do  not  advise  young  players  to  begin  with  variations  of 
this  kind.  If  they  find  they  can  do  better  with  them,  well  and 
good.  Grip  the  club  firmly  with  both  hands. 

In  the  upward  swing  the  same  directions  should  be  observed 
as  when  driving.  Let  the  wrists  begin  the  swing,  go  up  slowly, 
keep  the  right  elbow  in,  and  so  forth,  and  it  is  just  as  important 
as  ever  that  the  body  should  turn  on  its  own  axis,  that  the 
head  should  be  kept  quite  still,  and  that  the  eyes  should  be 
riveted  on  to  the  ball.  The  player  must  be  careful  not  to 
swing  the  club  too  far  away  from  the  body,  or  he  will  find 
that  the  result  is  to  cut  or  slice  the  ball,  and  a very  little  cut 
has  a large  effect  in  playing  with  clubs  of  this  kind.  It  goes 
without  saying  that  the  left  foot  pivots  and  the  left  knee  bends 
in  the  same  way  as  when  driving,  but  as  the  swing  is  rather 
shorter  and  more  restricted  they  do  not  do  so  to  quite  the  same 
extent.  For  even  a full  cleek  shot  the  club  should  not  be  taken 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library  o? 

so  far  back  as  to  make  the  shaft  horizontal,  that  is  to  say  at 
the  top  of  the  swing  the  blade  of  the  cleek  should  be  rather 
higher  than  the  hands.  If  it  goes  any  farther  than  that  there 
will  be  a considerable  loss  of  control.  Come  down  in  the  same 
way  as  with  the  driver,  but  tighten  the  wrists  a little  more  at 
the  time  of  impact — a proceeding  which  will  be  natural  if  it 
is  remembered  that  the  ball  is  to  be  hit  instead  of  swept  from 
the  place  where  it  rests.  At  the  same  time  a warning  must 
be  given  against  overdoing  this  hit  and  making  a stab  or  jerk 
of  it,  which  is  a fault  from  which  many  players  suffer.  When 
the  ball  is  jerked  from  its  lie  there  can  be  no  sort  of  control 
over  it,  and  the  distance  cannot  be  obtained.  After  impact 
the  club  may  be  allowed  to  finish  in  its  own  way  so  long  as 
the  hands  and  arms  are  kept  well  out  so  as  to  avoid  cutting. 
The  finish  will  be  long  or  short  according  to  the  length  of  the 
backward  swing. 

Besides  the  full  shot  with  the  cleek  there  is  the  three-quarter, 
and  while  this  may  be  carried  out  in  the  same  way  there  is  an 
adaptation  of  it  which  I have  found  to  be  verv  useful  when 
playing  against  me  wind.  In  this  case  I play  with  a more 
open  stance,  placing  the  right  foot  considerably  nearer  to  the 
ball  than  the  left.  The  weight  is  rather  more  on  the  left  foot 
than  the  right,  and  the  hands  are  held  slightly  forward,  in  front 
of  the  head  of  the  club 

In  the  upward  swing  the  wrists  and  forearms  are  kept  rather 
stiffer  than  in  the  playing  of  other  shots.  The  former  do  not 
turn  so  much,  and  the  left  elbow  is  kept  rather  straighter,  so 
that  when  the  club  is  at  the  top  of  the  swing  it  is  found  that 
the  hands  are  farther  away  from  the  body  than  when  a full 
shot  was  being  made  with  either  the  driver  or  the  cleek.  Less 


88 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library . 

bend  is  also  allowed  to  the  left  knee,  and  there  is  not  nearly 
so  much  pivoting  on  the  left  toe  as  in  other  cases.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  right  knee  stiffens  itself  more,  and  the  body 
is  held  more  rigidly.  The  whole  attitude  is  stiffer  than  usual, 
and  it  continues  to  be  so  to  the  finish  of  the  stroke.  The  wrists 
and  forearms  bring  down  the  club  ; and,  as  in  the  address,  the 
hands  are  slightly  in  front  of  the  blade  at  the  time  of  impact, 
both  wrists  and  forearms  being  as  stiff  as  they  can  be  made 
at  this  moment.  After  impact  the  right  hand  turns  over  some- 
what, and  an  effort  is  made  to  carry  the  club  through  as  close 
to  the  turf  as  is  possible,  following  exactly  the  line  of  flight 
of  the  ball.  This  is  my  variation  of  a shot  which  in  one  form 
x>r  another  is  played  by  most  of  the  leading  professionals,  and 
one  which  they  find  extremely  useful  in  many  emergencies. 
It  is  a shot  that  is  generally  only  played  in  fairly  advanced 
golf,  and  I would  recommend  all  beginners  to  leave  these 
refinements  of  the  game  severely  alone  until  they  have  mastered 
the  more  elementary  shots.  At  the  same  time  this  is  one  which 
will  be  extremely  useful  to  them  when  they  have  got  fairly 
going,  and  then  they  may  take  an  early  opportunity . of  prac- 
tising it. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


Bg 


XVI. 

THE  IRON. 

With  many  players  the  iron  is  a very  favourite  club,  and 
one  which  in  their  hands  is  made  to  serve  all  kinds  of  useful 
purposes.  Moreover,  it  is  true  that  the  approaching  distance 
for  which  the  iron  is  specially  suited  is  constantly  being  pre- 
sented in  the  course  of  a round  of  the  links,  and,  taking  it 
all  round,  it  has  to  be  admitted  that  the  iron  is  one  of  the 
most  valuable  occupants  of  the  golfer’s  bag.  It  is  certainly 
a beginner’s  club,  because  play  with  it  is  not  generally  found 
so  difficult  as  that  with  either  the  cleek  or  the  mashie,  and  it 
is  probably  the  first  of  the  iron  clubs  with  which  the  young 
golfer  exhibits  any  sign  of  proficiency.  Therefore  he  will  do 
well  to  give  it  special  attention  at  the  outset.  I say  this, 
although  it  is  often  found  that  the  more  a man  gets  on  in 
the  game  the  less  does  he  require  his  iron,  often  because  he 
finds  its  work  a little  too  crude  and  too  inexact  for  his  liking. 
He  frequently  gets  the  same  result  in  a better  way  from  other 
clubs.  I myself  have  no  particular  fondness  for  the  iron, 
and  it  is  very  seldom  that  I play  a full  ordinary  shot  with  it. 
When  the  distance  seems  to  call  for  such  a shot  I generally 
prefer  to  take  my  cleek  and  play  an  easy  half-shot  with  that, 
finding  that  when  I do  so  I can  keep  a much  straighter  ball 
than  when  I have  to  make  a full  swing  with  the  less  powerful 
club.  However,  the  beginner  would  not  be  well  advised  to 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


try  experiments  with  half-swings  at  the  outset,  and  therefore 
he  may  be  recommended  to  give  careful  study  to  the  play 
with  the  club  under  discussion. 

When  he  has  learned  to  play  his  cleek  shots  he  will  have  no 
particular  difficulty  with  the  iron,  for  it  is  used  in  a very  similar 
manner.  As  the  shaft  of  the  club  is  shorter  it  will  usually  be 
necessary  to  stand  a little  nearer  to  the  ball,  and  in  the  case  of 
this  shot  it  is  also  better  to  take  a more  open  stance,  that  is  to 
play  with  the  right  foot  a little  nearer  to  the  ball  than  in  the 
case  of  the  shots  that  have  already  been  described.  Apart  from 
this,  the  feet  should  be  placed  so  that  the  ball  is  nearer  to  the 
line  of  the  right  heel. 

Grip  the  club  very  tightly,  and  make  the  upward  swing  in  the 
same  manner  as  with  the  full  shot  with  the  cleek,  taking  care 
not  to  prolong  the  upward  movement  too  far.  In  all  shots  of  this 
kind  a short  swing  is  much  better  and  much  more  reliable  than  a 
long  one.  The  stroke  is  a hit  stroke,  as  with  other  iron  clubs,  and 
this  is  to  be  remembered  when  coming  down  on  to  the  ball  so 
that  the  wrists  are  stiffened  and  prepared  for  the  sharp  impact. 
After  the  ball  has  gone  I finish  the  stroke  with  the  hands  well  up 
and  the  club  turned  round  to  the  back,  though  it  is  not  essential 
that  this  should  be  done.  It  merely  shows  that  the  stroke  has 
been  cleanly  and  freely  made.  At  the  finish  of  the  stroke, 
according  to  the  way  in  which  I make  it  myself,  the  player 
should  be  entirely  on  his  left  leg  with  the  right  foot  on  its  toe, 
and,  as  in  the  case  of  most  other  full  shots,  his  body  should  have 
come  round  so  that  it  is  now  facing  the  hole. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


51 


XVII. 

THE  RUNNING-UP  SHOT. 

The  iron  is  also  very  frequently  used  for  another  and  entirely 
different  kind  of  stroke,  that  is  to  say  a short  running-up 
approach  of  anything  up  to  fifty  or  sixty  yards.  On  most 
courses  there  is  usually  a more  or  less  formidable  bunker 
guarding  the  green,  and  when  this  is  the  case  and  the  golfer  is 
approaching  the  hole  from  short  range  the  bunker  becomes  a 
serious  matter  for  consideration.  The  only  shot  that  is  possible 
in  the  circumstances  is  a lofted  shot,  and  the  proper  thing  to  do 
this  with  is  the  mashie,  as  will  be  described  shortly.  But  it 
sometimes  happens  that  there  is  either  no  bunker,  or  that  the 
previous  shot  has  just  cleared  it  but  has  still  left  a fair  amount  of 
ground  to  be  covered  before  the  pin  is  reached.  Many  players 
in  these  days  have  got  so  accustomed  to  the  belief  that  the 
mashie  is  the  only  thing  to  do  any  kind  of  approach  work  with 
that  they  still  use  it  in  circumstances  of  this  kind ; but  a 
running-up  shot  with  a less  lofted  club  is  far  preferable  and, 
executed  by  a man  who  knows  what  he  is  doing,  is  likely  to  give 
far  better  results.  There  is  a much  better  chance  of  laying  the 
ball  near  to  the  hole  when  running-up  than  when  pitching  with 
the  mashie,  and  it  is  a shot  which  gives  scope  for  any  amount  of 
skill,  so  that  the  tendency  in  these  days  is  to  make  holes  with 
fewer  bunkers  in  front  of  them  so  as  to  give  more  opportunities 
for  this  running-up. 


92 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library 

The  object  of  the  stroke  is  just  to  lift  the  ball  clear  of  the 
ground  until  the  putting  green  is  reached,  or  nearly,  and  then 
to  let  it  drop  there  and  finish  with  a little  run  up  to  the  pin.  It 
is  obvious  that  for  this  purpose  very  little  loft  is  needed  on  the 
club,  and  indeed  the  less  there  is  on  it  the  better,  so  that  while 
the  iron  is  often  used — perhaps  more  generally  so  tfthn  any 
other  club — many  players  get  better  results  and  are  able  to 
gauge  the  shot  with  much  more  accuracy  by  using  a club 
with  a straighter  blade,  such  as  a straight-faced  iron,  which 
they  may  carry  in  their  bags,  or  even  a cleek.  The  method 
of  making  the  stroke  is  very  simple. 

The  player  must  stand  very  straight  up  and  take  a firm  and 
fairly  open  stance,  with  the  ball  rather  more  in  a line  with  the 
right  heel  than  usual.  The  swing  will  be  a very  short  affair, 
since  very  little  propulsion  is  necessary  in  order  to  make  the  ball 
travel  such  a short  distance.  Exactly  what  length  of  swing  to 
give  will  naturally  vary  with  the  distance  to  be  traversed,  and 
the  player  must  be  left  to  find  out  in  practice  what  swing  to  give 
for  each  particular  shot,  and  need  only  be  recommended  always 
to  try  to  get  his  distance  exactly  by  swinging  exactly  instead  of 
by  swinging  almost  the  same  distance  each  time  and  regulating 
the  force  that  he  puts  into  the  stroke.  In  a general  way  it  will 
be  found  that  even  for  a fairly  long  run  up  it  will  not  be 
necessary  to  swing  the  blade  of  the  club  more  than  elbow  high  ; 
and,  this  being  so,  the  body  should  be  kept  very  stiff  and  steady, 
and  the  left  knee  should  bend  in  towards  the  right  but  a very 
little,  the  heel  scarcely  coming  off  the  ground.  In  finishing  the 
stroke  the  wrists  should  be  kept  fairly  stiff,  and  after  impact  the 
right  hand  should  turn  over  slightly  while  the  head  of  the  club 
should  sweep  along  close  to  the  ground  and  finish  low  down 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

pointing  to  the  hole.  Of  course  for  a shot  of  this  character  no 
turf  is  to  be  taken.  The  ball  should  be  hit  as  cleanly  and 
accurately  as  possible,  and  the  player  must  guard  against  a 
tendency  that  will  assert  itself  to  look  up  towards  the  hole  before 
he  has  actually  struck  the  ball ; in  fact,  the  rule  about  keeping  the 
eye  on  the  ball  has  to  be  insisted  upon  more  than  ever  when  the 
short  game  is  being  played,  because  it  is  then  that  it  is  most 
commonly  broken.  In  many  respects  this  delicate  running-up 
shot  is  a miniature  of  the  three-quarter  forcing  shot  witn  the 
cleek  as  already  described. 


94 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


XVIII. 

THE  MASHIE. 

This  is  a club  that  generally  gives  the  young  golfer  a good 
deal  of  trouble,  though  there  is  no  great  reason  why  it  should 
do  so,  and  the  cause  as  a rule  is  merely  over-anxiety.  The  hole 
is  close  at  hand,  and  there  is  commonly  a hazard  of  some 
kind  intervening  which  will  catch  the  ball  if  the  least  thing 
goes  wrong,  and  thus  spoil  the  whole  of  what  may  have  been 
very  good  play  up  to  that  point.  I need  say  no  more  con- 
cerning the  club  than  that  it  should  have  a fair  amount  of 
weight  in  it,  and  should  have  a strong  shaft  in  which  there 
must  be  no  tendency  to  whip.  Spring  in  the  shaft  is  all  very 
well  in  the  case  of  some  clubs,  but  it  is  quite  out  of  place  in 
a mashie.  There  are  many  different  patterns  of  blades,  and 
it  is  not  much  use  recommending  any  particular  one  of  them 
to  the  player,  because  as  soon  as  he  gets  on  in  the  game  he 
is  almost  certain  to  exhibit  a preference  of  his  own  in  this 
respect.  However,  one  may  recommend  him  not  to  overdo 
the  loft  on  his  club,  as,  however  much  it  may  be  necessary 
to  get  the  ball  up,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  it  is  also 
necessary  to  take  well  hold  of  it,  and  there  may  be  a difficulty 
in  doing  this  when  the  face  of  the  club  is  laid  back  at  too 
great  an  angle. 

There  are  generally  understood  to  be  two  kinds  of  shots 
with  the  mashie — a very  full  mashie  which  is  similar  to  an  iron 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 95 

ihot,  and  only  differs  from  it  in  that  the  ball  is  carried  a 
Shorter  distance  and  goes  up  higher,  so  that  it  comes  down 
with  less  run — all  this  being  mostly  due  to  the  club — and  the 
Short-pitching  shot,  in  which  the  ball  is  just  lifted  straight 
flp  into  the  air  to  come  down  again  a very  little  distance  in 
iront  with  next  to  no  run  on  it.  The  former  may  be  employed 
when  the  ball  is  somewhere  about  eighty  yards  from  the  hole, 
sind  the  latter  usually  comes  in  most  frequently  at  about  forty 
Dr  fifty.  In  reality  there  is  not  much  difference  between  the 
Strokes  except  in  degree — that  is  to  say  in  the  length  of  the 
swing  and  consequently  the  force  with  which  the  ball  is  hit. 

The  stance  for  the  mashie  shot  differs  slightly  from  that 
which  was  taken  in  the  case  of  the  iron.  It  should  always 
be  very  open,  and  the  right  foot  is  consequently  well  advanced, 
while  the  ball  is  placed  in  a line  about  midway  between  the 
feet.  For  my  own  part  I believe  in  holding  the  hands  very 
low  down — at  practically  the  full  stretch  of  the  arms — so  that 
the  heel  of  the  club  is  on  the  turf  and  the  toe  is  slightly 
raised.  This  course  of  procedure  seems  to  help  the  club  to 
get  under  the  ball  better.  At  the  same  time  the  player  should 
stand  very  close  to  the  ball,  and  he  should  grip  the  club  very 
tightly.  It  is  essential  that  throughout  this  stroke  he  should 
have  a very  firm  grip. 

In  making  the  upward  swing  it  has  to  be  borne  in  mind 
that  as  it  is  required  to  pitch  the  ball  up,  and  as  one  of 
the  means  of  doing  this  is  to  come  down  very  straight  on  to 
it,  the  club  should  be  carried  very  straight  up  when  it  is 
being  taken  away  from  the  ball.  The  best  way  of  doing  this, 
and  at  the  same  time  of  preserving  that  semi-rigidity  which 
is  essential  to  good  mashie  play,  is  to  allow  the  wrists  and 


96 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


forearms  to  do  nearly  all  the  work ; and  this  is  generally 
recognised  to  be  the  proper  method.  The  arms  are  allowed 
to  bend  slightly  from  the  elbows,  and  the  right  elbow  is  kept 
well  in  to  the  body.  While  there  should  be  a fair  amount  of 
slackness  and  play  in  the  legs  to  begin  with,  the  knees  being 
allowed  to  bend  considerably,  there  should  be  very  little  move- 
ment in  either  feet  or  legs  while  the  stroke  is  being  made. 
The  left  knee  may  bend  in  very  slightly  towards  the  right 
toe,  but  the  heel  should  scarcely  be  raised  from  the  ground, 
and  there  should  be  nothing  in  the  nature  of  pivoting.  In  this 
way  the  body  will  not  be  allowed  to  turn  very  much,  and  it 
is  important  that  it  should  not  be  allowed  to  do  so.  The 
more  rigidly  it  is  held  the  better.  As  for  the  distance  to 
which  the  club  is  taken  back,  this  must  necessarily  depend 
on  the  length  of  the  shot  which  it  is  required  to  make,  but  it 
should  be  very  seldom  necessary  when  using  the  mashie  to 
go  much  beyond  the  perpendicular,  and  when  a player  does 
so  he  is  probably  asking  rather  more  of  the  club  than  he 
ought  to  do. 

As  usual  the  downward  swing  is  a repetition  of  the  upward 
one,  and  there  is  little  to  say  about  it  that  will  not  be  evident 
to  the  player  by  this  time.  He  must  take  care  to  carry  the 
club  well  through  in  the  direction  of  the  hole,  and  not  to  hug 
it  in  towards  him  just  after  impact — a fault  which  is  very 
much  in  evidence  with  some  players  and  which  completely 
ruins  the  shot.  In  finishing  one  does  not  allow  the  body  to 
turn  round  towards  the  hole  quite  so  much  as  with  other  shots 
with  iron  clubs,  and  consequently  the  right  knee  does  not 
turn  in  so  much.  The  club  should  finish  about  as  high  up 
as  it  was  taken  in  the  backward  swing.  It  is  of  great  im« 


97 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

portance  to  impress  upon  the  young  golfer  who  is  not 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  mashie  play  that  it  is  not  neces- 
sary for  him  to  do  anything  in  particular  except  obey  the 
simple  instruction  for  swinging  the  club  as  here  laid  down 
in  order  to  make  the  ball  pitch  up  in  the  required  manner. 
If  the  club  is  swung  properly  the  loft  on  its  face  will  get  the 
ball  up  quite  sufficiently  for  any  purpose,  and  when  the 
player  gets  trying  to  assist  the  club  in  this  direction  by 
wriggling  his  hands  about  when  making  the  stroke  and 
endeavouring  in  some  peculiar  manner  to  jerk  the  ball  up 
there  is  sure  to  be  trouble.  In  itself  mashie  play  is  not  so 
very  difficult  after  all,  but  many  players  contrive  to  make  it  so. 

There  are  one  or  two  other  kinds  of  approach  shots,  chiefly 
that  in  which  a little  cut  is  applied  to  the  mashie  stroke  in 
order  to  make  the  ball  stop  more  dead  than  usual  when  it 
alights  on  the  green,  but  the  beginner  had  better  not  attempt 
them.  They  are  not  easy,  and  it  will  be  quite  time  enough 
for  him  to  try  his  skill  at  this  sort  of  thing  when  he  has  had 
at  least  a year  or  two's  practice.  Besides  they  are  not  often 
wanted.  Remember  that  with  all  mashie  shots  a little  turf 
should  always  be  taken.  It  is  next  to  impossible  to  play  them 
well  without,  but  the  turf  must  be  taken  at  the  right  time 
and  in  the  right  place. 


gS 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


XIX. 

THE  NIBLICK. 

This  is  a heavy  club  with  a deep  face  and  much  laid  back 
for  the  special  purpose  of  making  the  ball  rise  very  quickly 
over  some  obstruction  immediately  in  front.  The  use  to 
which  the  niblick  is  most  frequently  applied  is  to  get  the 
player  out  of  bunkers  and  other  difficult  places  to  which  his 
bad  shots  have  taken  him,  and  as  a rule  it  is  about  the  only 
club  that  is  practicable  in  the  circumstances.  The  golfer 
should  make  a point,  however,  of  asking  himself  when  he  has 
got  into  a bunker  whether  any  other  club  than  the  niblick 
is  possible  in  the  situation  that  is  presented.  Some  players 
get  so  much  into  the  habit  of  taking  their  niblick  quite 
mechanically  when  in  bunkers  that  they  miss  many  good 
opportunities  of  making  far  better  recoveries  than  is  possible 
with  it,  for  it  occasionally  happens  that  the  ball  is  lying  quite 
well  and  at  a fair  distance  from  the  face  of  a low  bunker,  in 
which  circumstances  it  might  be  quite  easy  to  get  in  a good 
snot  with  a mashie,  or  even  now  and  then  with  an  iron  or 
driving  mashie.  However,  while  pointing  out  this  possibility, 
it  is  never  to  be  forgotten  that  after  all  the  first  thing  to  be 
thought  of  when  one  has  got  into  a bunker , is  to  make  sure 
of  getting  out  in  one  stroke,  and  therefore  a club  should 
never  be  taken  which  the  player  is  not  quite  certain  is  equal 
to  the  task  in  hand. 


Spalding' s Athletic  Library . 


99 


The  method  of  playing  the  niblick  for  a bunker  shot  is 
very  similar  to  that  of  the  mashie.  It  will  often  happen  that 
the  player  has  not  very  much  choice  in  the  matter  of  stance, 
and  will  at  times  have  to  put  up  with  c:me  very  unorthodox 
positions ; but  when  he  has  as  much  choice  as  he  wants,  he 
will  take  a medium  open  stance  and  have  the  ball  fairly  well 
towards  his  right  foot.  In  the  upward  swing  he  should  hold 
the  club  very  tightly  and  take  it  up  very  straight  and  rather 
high.  In  the  case  of  this  shot  he  must  not  keep  his  eyes  on 
the  ball  during  the  swing,  but  on  the  sand  an  inch  or  so 
behind  it,  and  he  must  bring  the  club  down  on  to  this  place 
m the  sand  so  that  it  will  drive  its  way  through  it  and  under- 
neath the  ball,  giving  it  such  a lift  up  as  would  be  possible  in 
no  other  way.  Generally  when  a ball  is  played  out  ot  a 
bunker  in  this  way  the  ciub  does  not  even  touch  it.  There 
need  be  no  attempt  to  finish  the  stroke,  which  naturally  comes 
to  an  end  when  the  club  is  ploughing  its  way  through  the 
sand  underneath  the  ball.  The  player  may  be  recommended 
not  to  lose  sight  of  any  advantage  that  is  to  be  gained  by 
playing  the  ball  at  an  angle  across  the  face  of  the  bunker 
instead  of  straight  in  front.  When  this  can  be  done  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  shot  is  rendered  much  less  difficult  through 
its  not  being  necessary  to  make  the  ball  rise  so  quickly,  and 
the  player  may  be  spared  the  exasperation  of  seeing  the  ball 
rise  to  within  an  inch  of  the  top  of  the  bunker,  but  then  hit 
it  and  come  flopping  back  into  the  sand  very  probably  in  a 
worse  lie  than  before.  Bunker  shots  are  worth  far  more 
practice  than  is  given  to  them.  No  player  is  ever  so  perfect 
that  he  does  not  get  into  bunkers  sometimes,  and  it  will  be 
an  enormous  gain  to  him  if  he  cultivates  the  power  of  getting 


ioo  Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

well  out  of  them  in  one  shot  when  these  misfortunes  occur 
to  him. 

Although  the  average  player  so  seldom  thinks  of  them,  there 
are  other  uses  for  the  niblick  besides  bunker  shots,  and  one  of 
them  is  for  short  approaches  to  which  it  is  desired  to  apply  a 
considerable  amount  of  loft  and  when  it  is  necessary  to  stop  the 
ball  very  dead  indeed,  as  soon  as  it  comes  down  to  the  turf. 
For  this  kind  of  work  the  heavy  head  of  the  niblick  with  its 
large  amount  of  loft  is  very  well  suited,  and  in  the  hands  of  some 
players  some  perfectly  marvellous  work  can  be  got  out  of  it.  In 
many  respects  the  niblick  shot  played  in  this  way  fulfils  all  the 
functions  of  the  cut  mashie.  For  some  time  past  I have  been 
using  a niblick  with  an  unusually  large  face,  which  I find  better 
than  the  ordinary  niblicks  for  all  purposes. 


Braid’s  Stance  and  Address  when  Putting. 
See  Chapter  XX, 


Finish  of  Putting  Stroke,  indicating  an  easy  Follow-through  Styte 
See  Chapter  XX. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


103 


SQL 

PUTTING. 

It  happens,  unfortunately,  that  concerning  one  department  ot 
the  game  that  will  cause  the  golfer  some  anxiety  from  time  to 
time,  and  often  more  when  he  is  experienced  than  when  he  is 
not,  neither  I nor  any  other  player  can  offer  any  words  of 
instruction  such  as,  if  closely  acted  upon,  would  give  the  same 
successful  results  as  the  advice  tendered  under  other  heads 
ought  to  do.  This  is  in  regard  to  putting. 

In  one  respect  putting  is  the  simplest  thing  in  golf,  inasmuch 
as  there  is  no  complicated  swing  to  make  and  to  be  continually 
getting  out  of  order  ; but,  as  everybody  of  experience  knows,  the 
making  of  the  final  strokes  on  the  putting  green  in  the  endeavour 
to  get  the  little  white  ball  into  the  hole  at  last,  is  the  most 
difficult  and  trying  task  imaginable,  and  the  one  which  is  most 
constantly  disappointing.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  a man  what  to 
do  in  order  to  putt  the  ball  into  the  hole.  He  must  find  out  for 
himself,  and  make  himself  into  as  good  a putter  as  he  can  by 
constant  practice.  Much  may  be  done  by  this  constant  practice, 
and  bad  putters  have  been  turned  into  good  ones  ; but  really 
great  putters  are  probably  born  and  not  made,  and  some 
astonishing  results  have  been  obtained  by  the  veriest  beginners. 
It  is  quite  possible  that  many  people  may  putt  better  in  the  early 
part  of  their  experience  than  later  on,  for  they  may  think  it 


10  d 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


easier  than  it  really  is,  and  thus  have  plenty  of  confidence,  and 
there  is  nothing  like  confidence  in  putting. 

However,  while  one  cannot  tell  a player  how  exactly  to  putt  a 
ball  into  the  hole  from  any  given  distance,  and  while  also  it 
would  be  unwise  to  direct  him  to  take  any  particular  stance  for 
putting,  believing  that  the  man  is  best  off  in  this  department 
who  does  things  in  that  way  which  comes  most  natural  to  him 
and  in  which  he  is  most  comfortable,  there  are  certain  general 
principles  which  it  would  be  very  dangerous  and  possibly 
disastrous  to  disobey,  and  which  may  be  mentioned  here.  In 
the  first  place,  putting  is  an  extremely  delicate  operation,  and 
calls  for  the  most  careful  gauging  of  strength  and  direction  in 
the  stroke.  This  being  so,  it  is  obvious  that  if  the  body  moves 
in  the  least  the  whole  of  the  delicate  calculation  must  necessarily 
be  upset,  and  really  fine  putting  be  made  an  impossibility- 
Therefore  the  body  must  be  kept  absolutely  still,  and  the  head 
also  quite  motionless  Generally  it  must  be  done  by  the  hands 
and  wrists  only,  and  the  right  hand  is  the  one  to  putt  with,  the 
other  merely  holding  and  steadying  the  club.  It  is  palpably 
necessary  that  the  very  utmost  steadiness  in  swinging  the  club 
must  be  constantly  displayed.  Nervous,  shaky,  wobbly  taps  are 
useless. 

Also,  the  stroke  must  be  a smooth  and  easy  one,  just  as  much 
so  as  any  other  stroke  in  the  game,  and  the  player  must  guard 
against  getting  into  the  habit  of  stabbing  his  ball.  This  is  a 
common  mistake ; but  when  it  is  made  the  regulation  of 
strength  and  direction  is  most  difficult.  The  club  must  be 
brought  on  to  the  ball  in  a nice  even  sweep,  and  it  should 
follow-through  properly.  As  in  other  strokes  the  swing  should 
be  regulated  precisely  according  to  the  distance  to  which  it 


Spalding' s Athletic  Library . 105 

is  desired  to  putt  the  ball.  A great  deal  depends  on  hitting 
the  ball  quite  truly  on  the  proper  place  on  the  club,  and  to 
ensure  this,  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  the  eye  on  the  ball 
until  the  stroke  has  been  made.  The  tendency  to  take  it  off 
and  look  up  at  the  hole  before  the  ball  has  been  started  on 
its  journey  is  greater  in  the  case  of  putting  than  anything 
else,  and  it  is  fatal  every  time. 

As  to  stance,  I myself  think  there  is  a great  deal  to  be  said  for 
a very  open  stance,  and  this  is  one  with  which  I play,  having 
the  ball  nearly  opposite  my  right  toe  ; but  I would  hesitate  to  lay 
down  any  definite  rule  in  the  matter.  The  beginner  may  be 
left  to  experiment  for  himself.  Also  he  may  be  left  to  experi- 
ment with  putters,  as  it  is  in  the  farthest  degree  unlikely  that  he 
will  be  satisfied  with  the  first  one  that  he  buys.  He  will  think 
that  he  will  be  able  to  putt  better  and  save  more  holes  if  he  buys 
a new  one,  and  this  may  happen  several  times  before  he  has  a 
real  favourite  of  his  own.  I might  hint  again,  however,  that  I 
think  there  is  something  to  be  said  for  having  one  kind  of  putter 
to  run  up  with  and  another  for  holing  out  from  a short  distance. 
The  importance  of  making  a most  careful  study  of  the  line  of 
every  putt  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed  upon  the  player.  If 
there  are  undulations  of  the  green  to  be  dealt  with  they  cannot 
be  considered  too  carefully  or  the  calculations  made  too  exactly, 
for  the  ball  is  exceedingly  sensitive  to  them.  It  is  sometimes 
even  necessary  to  make  wide  allowances  for  undulations  that  are 
scarcely  perceptible,  and  this  is  specially  the  case  when  greens 
are  fast.  There  is  a wise  maxim  “ Never  up,  never  in,”  and  it 
may  only  be  added  that  it  is  better  to  be  a foot  beyond  the  hole 
than  six  inches  on  the  near  side  of  it. 


io6 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


XXI. 

PLAYING  THE  ROUND. 

We  have  thus  made  a short  study  of  all  the  leading  strokes 
in  the  game,  and  by  the  time  the  player  is  able  to  make  them 
with  any  kind  of  complete  knowledge  as  to  how  they  should 
all  be  done,  even  if  he  cannot  make  them  properly,  he  will 
be  playing  his  rounds  against  opponents,  and  ought  to  be  a 
constantly  improving  golfer. 

In  regard  to  playing  a round  as  a whole  there  are  one  or 
two  points  that  it  may  be  wise  to  mention  here.  To  play  the 
ball  from  the  tee  to  the  hole  is  never  quite  such  a simple 
business  as  it  looks  if  it  is  to  be  done  properly  and  the  hole 
won  or  halved  with  an  opponent.  The  player  will  find  it  to 
be  necessary  to  play  with  his  head  all  the  time,  and  one  of 
the  first  things  that  he  will  have  to  learn,  and  one  which  he 
will  find  of  use  all  through  his  career  is  when  to  take  risks 
and  when  not  to.  The  mere  beginner  should  never  take 
risks,  that  is  to  say  he  should  never  attempt  shots  which  he 
imagines  may  be  beyond  his  powers,  because  he  will  be  doing 
much  to  spoil  the  style  he  is  forming  for  himself  and  get 
himself  into  very  bad  habits.  Let  him  content  himself  with 
making  the  shots  in  an  easy  and  comfortable  way,  and  being 
as  certain  about  them  as  he  can  be. 

But  the  time  will  come  when  the  question  will  present 
itself  acutely  to  him  as  to  whether  he  shall  attempt  a shot 
which  he  thinks  is  quite  likely  to  fail,  in  the  hope  of  gaining 


107 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

some  great  advantage  if  it  comes  off.  In  these  circumstances 
it  is  simply  a question  of  profit  and  loss,  and  the  player  must 
make  a careful  calculation  as  to  which  is,  on  the  whole,  the 
more  profitable  policy.  It  may  happen  that  a very  desperate 
shot  is  the  only  one  to  save  the  match ; in  that  case  it  is  the 
obvious  duty  of  the  player  to  go  for  it.  If  a man  is  two  down 
with  three  to  play,  he  must  take  risks  with  nearly  every 
stroke  ; but  if  he  is  two  up  with  three  to  play  he  must  risk 
nothing.  Again,  if  his  opponent  has  played  the  odd  or  two 
more,  he  himself  will  naturally  play  a safer  game  than  if  he 
were  the  party  playing  the  odd  or  two  more.  In  any  case  no 
stroke  should  ever  be  made  without  a full  consideration  of 
all  the  various  contingencies  that  are  possible.  Heedless- 
haphazard  players  never  get  on  in  the  game. 

They  may  not  find  it  a$  easy  thing  to  arrange,  but  whenever 
possible  the  young  player  should  strive  to  arrange  his  match 
with  better  players  than  himself.  He  may  not  win  so  many 
of  them  ; but  they  will  do  his  game  a lot  of  good,  and  will 
pull  him  out  as  nothing  else  will.  He  should  be  chary  of 
accepting  advice  from  players  who  are  not  much  better 
than  himself  ; but  from  really  good  golfers  he  may  learn 
much,  and  he  should  always  be  very  observant,  for  probably 
more  players  have  learned  to  play  a very  fine  game  through 
watching  others  play  it  than  in  any  other  way.  Until  he  has 
got  very  far  advanced  the  player  should  from  time  to  time 
take  a lesson  from  his  original  tutor,  who  will  often  cure  him 
of  faults  into  which  he  is  dropping,  perhaps  unconsciously, 
and  give  him  some  new  hint  which  in  his  then  state  of 
experience  will  be  very  timely  and  valuable.  He  will  find  it 
very  good  practice  to  go  out  occasionally  with  only  one  club, 


108  Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 

that  one  being  one  with  which  he  has  a lot  of  trouble.  He 
will  discover  that  he  can  do  more  in  the  way  of  breaking 
himself  into  it  in  one  hour  in  this  way  than  he  would  do  in 
a month  by  simply  using  the  club  when  it  came  to  its  turn 
in  ordinary  match  play. 

Finally,  let  me  recommend  the  young  player  to  obtain  the 
fullest  knowledge  of  the  rules  of  the  game  and  of  its  etiquette, 
so  that  he  may  never  be  in  ignorance  of  the  former  and  never 
be  guilty  of  a breach  of  the  latter,  which  is  the  worst  fault 
a golfer  can  commit.  He  will  soon  learn  that  it  is  his  first 
duty  to  replace  the  turf  which  is  cut  out  in  the  act  of  playing, 
and  he  must  realise  that  it  is  not  enough  merely  to  throw  the 
turf  down  on  the  spot  from  where  it  was  cut.  The  object  of 
replacing  is  not  to  cover  up  the  gash  made,  but  to  give  the 
turf  a chance  to  grow  again,  as  it  will  do  if  properly  laid  back. 
The  operation  should  therefore  be  performed  carefully,  and 
the  turf  properly  and  thoroughly  patted  back  into  its  place 
with  the  foot.  The  etiquette  of  golf  simply  consists  in  showing 
a proper  regard  for ' the  convenience  and  pleasure  of  others, 
and  therefore  for  the  good  of  the  game.  There  are  many  ways 
in  which  this  may  be  done,  and  in  which  alas  ! it  is  too  often 
left  undone.  For  example,  when  a player  has  visited  a bunker 
and  made  large  marks  in  the  sand  with  his  heels  or  his  club, 
it  behoves  him  to  fill  them  up  carefully  and  rake  the  sand 
with  his  club  before  going  on.  If  he  does  not,  some  other 
player’s  ball  may  be  penalised  most  cruelly  and  unfairly  by 
going  into  those  heel  or  club  marks. 

If  the  golfer  always  does  to  others  as  he  would  be  done  by 
he  will  find  his  life  on  the  links  very  much  pleasanter  than 
it  would  be  otherwise. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . 


109 


HARRY  VARDON  TELLS  HOW  TO 
PLAY  GOLF. 

THE  DRIVE. 

Cultivate  a good  style.  Style  may  not  be  of  the  greatest 
importance  which  some  veterans  insist  on,  but  few  will  deny 
that  a good  style  is  a distinct  advantage  to  a man  who  wishes 
to  become  a good  player. 

The  beginner  having  got  his  clubs,  we  would  advise  him  in 
commencing  the  game  to  go  to  some  good  professional  and  put 
himself  in  his  hands  for  a couple  of  hours  at  a time.  See  that 
your  instructor  is  built  pretty  much  on  the  same  lines  as  your- 
self. It  seems  to  me  to  be  absurd  for  a big,  heavy-built  man  to 
take  lessons  from  a little,  slim  boy,  who  can  tie  himself  in  a knot 
and  swing,  and  yet  come  back  perfectly  steady  on  his  feet  just  as 
he  hits  the  ball,  and  expect  to  do  the  same  yourself  with  about 
100  pounds  more  flesh  covering  your  muscles.  You  will  be  told 
that  all  good  drivers  and  professionals  have  the  same  theory  in 
driving,  and  that  they  merely  obtain  the  same  results  by  putting 
those  theories  into  practice  in  a different  manner,  but  the  fact 
remains  that  we  are  naturally  imitative  and  we  really  arrive  at 
some  fixed  way  of  standing  to  address  a ball,  not  by  being  put 
in  a particular  position  and  having  our  arms  raised  in  a particular 
way,  but  by  observing  someone  else  do  what  we  are  trying  to 
lejarn.  And  it  stands  to  reason  that  if  a man  will  observe  a 
player  driving  whose  build  is  similar  to  his  own,  it  will  be  much 
easier  for  him  to  imitate  the  player  and  consequently  much 
quicker  to  obtain  the  desired  results. 

As  it  is  not  always  within  the  means  of  all  beginners  (for 
various  reasons)  to  have  the  advantage  of  coaching  by  a com- 
petent instructor,  a few  hints  given  here  may  not  be  amiss. 


110  Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 

The  first  thing  to  engage  your  attention  then,  as  you  stand 
upon  the  tee  ready  to  begin,  is  to  see  that  you  sole  your  club 
properly,  i.  e.,  allow  the  club  head  to  rest  flat  on  the  ground 
immediately  behind  the  ball.  This  is  called  soling  the  club  or 
giving  a club  its  only  lie.  At  the  same  time  see  that  the  face 
or  the  part  of  the  club  intended  to  strike  the  ball  is  held  at  a 
perfect  right  angle  to  the  direction  in  which  you  intend  to  play 
for.  Having  done  that,  then  stand  in  a perfectly  parallel  line 
to  the  intended  direction  with  both  feet  aligned,  care  being  taken 
to  see  that  you  do  not  have  the  right  foot  dragging  behind  the 
left.  This  will  make  of  the  line  of  the  ball  and  the  position  of 
your  feet  two  perfectly  parallel  lines. 

Now  stand  perfectly  easy,  with  the  feet  firmly  set  upon  the 
ground.  Don’t  be  tense,  but  hold  yourself  as  relaxed  as  you 
possibly  can,  your  main  object  being  to  stand  in  such  a way  that 
when  you  swing  you  will  bring  your  club  straight  and  squarely 
behind  the  ball  in  describing  the  circle,  and  follow  through  in  the 
direct  line  for  the  object  aimed  at,  viz.,  the  hole,  with  the  least 
possible  exertion  to  yourself.  Should  you  on  the  contrary  seek 
to  stand  with  the  right  foot  behind  the  line  of  the  left  one,  and 
which,  by  the  way,  is  the  stance  most  commonly  adopted  by 
beginners,  your  follow  through  will  not  be  as  free  as  it  should  be, 
the  tendency  being  to  press  the  club  through  with  the  right 
hand,  and  resulting  in  a slice  or  a pull,  according  to  how  the 
ball  is  hit,  at  the  same  time  finishing  your  stroke  with  both 
legs  crossed — not  a very  stylish  finish  by  any  means,  and  apt 
to  make  the  player  lose  his  equilibrium. 

Having  got  some  idea  of  how  to  stand,  and  also  as  to  allowing 
your  club  to  soie  properly,  the  very  next  step  in  order  is  the 
position  of  the  ball,  i.  e.,  where  shall  it  be  teed?  Of  course 
many  men  have  many  styles,  and  while  one  can  see  a few  players 
tee  their  ball  near  the  right  foot,  the  vast  majority  tee  very 
nearly  opposite  the  left.  And  this  is  the  position  we  would 
advise  beginners  to  adopt  as  being  one  of  the  best.  Our  reasons 
are  these : As  the  player  about  to  play  grasps  the  club  he,  as  a 
rule,  holds  it  with  the  left  hand  on  top,  the  right  being  under. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


hi 


This  naturally  makes  the  left  arm  exactly  the  width  of  the  hand 
longer  than  the  right  one.  Consequently  in  seeking  to  swing 
the  club  correctly  the  head  will  reach  the  bottom  of  the  arc  in 
describing  the  circle  when  it  comes  in  a straight  line  with  the 
longest  arm,  or  left  shoulder.  As  this  is  purely  an  arm-and- 
shoulder  movement,  the  left  shoulder  is  thus  necessarily  the 
axis  of  the  swing.  Following  this  theory  out,  the  beginner  will 
then  see,  as  he  stands  with  his  feet  apart  ready  to  make  the 
stroke,  that  his  left  shoulder  is  almost  in  perfect  line,  vertically, 
with  his  left  heel,  and  that  if  the  ball  is  teed  in  line  with  the 
same,  the  plane  of  the  axis  maintained,  he  must  assuredly  con- 
nect with  the  ball  at  the  proper  moment. 

The  great  trouble  with  most  beginners  when  commencing  to 
play  is  that  almost  invariably  they  commit  one  of  two  faults. 
One  of  them  is  that  when  lifting  the  club  to  the  shoulder  in 
preparing  for-the  downward  sweep  they  are  apt  to  raise  the  body 
ever  so  slightly  as  they  raise  the  club.  The  consequence  is  that 
the  ball  is  topped,  if  not  missed  altogether.  The  other  is  the  act 
of  swaying  the  body  away  from  the  ball,  thus  again  changing  the 
plane  of  the  axis,  with  the  result  that  the  head  of  the  club  comes 
in  contact  with  Mother  Earth  many  inches  behind  where  the 
ball  is  teed.  Keep,  then,  the  head  and  body  as  steady  as  you  can, 
always  remembering  that  the  arms  and  shoulders  will  do  all  that 
is  necessary  in  getting  away  a good  ball. 

Another  point  to  aid  the  beginner  here  in  judging  whether  he 
is  doing  right  according  to  this  theory  is  to  see  that  when  he  is 
addressing  the  ball  the  shoulder,  hands  and  the  head  of  the  club 
will  be  in  a perfectly  straight  line  at  right  angles  to  the  direc- 
tion of  the  hole. 

Of  course  there  are  exceptions  to  the  general  rule  of  teeing 
of  the  left  foot,  such  as  upon  getting  a hanging  lie  or  when  there 
is  a dead  head  wind  blowing,  but  as  thfe  beginner  is  only  at  the 
tee  just  yet,  we  will  let  this  suffice  for  the  present. 

Now  we  come  to  the  grip.  How  to  hold  the  club.  Grasp  the 
club  firmly  about  an  inch  from  the  top  of  the  shaft,  with  the 
fingers  of  the  left  hand,  being  careful  to  see  that  the  knuckles 


II 2 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library. 


point  in  the  direction  of  the  proposed  flight  of  the  ball.  Then 
allow  the  right  hand  to  come  as  close  to  the  left  as  possible,  but 
holding  as  loosely  as  consistent  with  safety  in  the  Angers  of  the 
right.  This  grip,  the  beginner  can  see,  is  that  the  shaft  is  al- 
lowed to  lie  in  the  second  and  third  joints  of  the  fingers,  and 
that  the  hands  are  allowed  to  close  over.  Never,  upon  any  ac- 
count, grasp  the  shaft  in  the  palms  of  the  hands,  as  if  you  do 
you  will  lock  the  joints  of  the  wrists,  and  they  will  not  be  able 
to  respond  in  rythm  with  the  swing  of  the  club. 

Having  got  these  ideas  firmly  in  his  mind,  the  beginner  can 
now  try  and  execute  the  preliminary  “waggle.”  The  ideal  wag- 
gle consists  in  a gentle  swaying  to  and  fro,  once  or  twice  only, 
of  the  club  over  the  ball  and  in  the  same  vertical  plane  as  the 
arc  which  the  head  of  the  club  ought  to  describe  in  the  actual 
stroke.  Waggle  with  your  wrists  only.  Let  the  club  head  rest 
again  for  a moment  behind  the  ball  before  making ‘your  upward 
swing  (a  golfing  drive  is  not  a hit;  it  is  distinctly  and  absolutely 
a swing),  and  have  your  hands  well  down,  about  on  a level  with 
your  lowest  waist  button.  Swing  your  club  back  to  a horizontal 
position  behind  the  head,  never  for  a second  taking  your  eye 
off  the  ball,  allowing  the  body  to  turn  gently  with  its  weight 
upon  the  right  foot,  raising  the  left  heel  slightly  off  the  ground, 
a perfectly  natural  motion.  Keep  the  head  of  your  club  perfectly 
steady  and  let  your  upward  and  downward  swing  be  practically 
one  motion.  Your  body,  your  arms,  in  fact  your  whole  frame, 
should,  at  the  moment  of  striking  the  ball,  be  in  the  same  position 
precisely  as  when  you  addressed  the  ball.  Let  your  club  head 
follow  the  ball  in  its  flight  as  far  as  you  possibly  can,  finishing 
up,  if  possible,  where  you  commenced,  as  in  Fig.  2.  If  the  begin- 
ner ha's  ever  swung  Indian  clubs,  it  will  be  all  the  easier  for  him 
to  master,  as  it  is  practically  the  same  in  theory,  giving  the  club 
the  impetus  and  allowing  the  wrists  to  carry  it  through.  Two 
lessons  with  a competent  instructor  should  allow  the  veriest 
novice  to  get  on  to  the  hang  of  it. 

The  following  is  an  expression  of  opinion  from  Vardon,  present 
champion,  one  of  the  best  drivers  in  the  world,  on  “driving”: 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library.  113 

“Many  things  on  which  we  differ  are  of  little  or  no  impor- 
tance, and  the  variousi  opinions  can  be  experimented  on  by  the 
tyro  without  running  the  risk  of  incurring  much  hurt,  but  there 
are  other  things  about  which  it  will  be  wise  for  him  to  find  out 
from  more  experienced  players  the  reasons  for  and  against,  and 
then  make  a choice  of  what  appears  to  be  best,  and  persevere  in 
thinking  it  so,  despite  conflicting  opinions.  While  there  is  no 
reason  why  any  one  should  not  become  a good  player  who  fol- 
lows out  the  advice  given  by  ‘Badminton,’  there  are  reasons  why 
they  cannot  follow  that  advice,  though  they  may  try  very  hard 
to  do  so.  The  great  drawback  to  those  who  would  learn  to  play 
golf  without  having  a professional  adviser  at  their  side  is  that 
they  cannot  see  themselves  as  others  see  them.  Could  they  do  so, 
they  would  soon  become  aware  of  how  poorly  they  are  reproduc- 
ing the  swing  of  which  they  have  read,  and  how  certainly  they  are 
contracting  habits  which  cannot  fail  to  be  detrimental  to  their 
progress.  I think,  therefore,  that  every  one  who  is  ambitious  of 
becoming  a golfer  will  do  well  at  the  outset  to  seek  professional 
tuition.  A few  lessons  then  would  probably  be  more  useful  than 
a great  many  after  the  faults  referred  to  have  been  acquired. 
My  manner  of  playing  is  different  from  either  that  of  Dunn  or 
‘Badminton.’  To  begin  with  the  ‘stance :’  Instead  of  having  my 
right  foot  to  the  rear  I keep  it  some  three  or  four  inches  in  ad- 
vance. This,  I think,  to  be  best,  for  it  allows  the  body  to  follow 
much  more  freely  after  the  swing  in  the  direction  of  the  intended 
flight  of  the  ball.  The  weight  of  the  body  I throw  mostly  on  to 
the  right  foot,  not  transferring  it  until  the  ball  is  being  struck. 
By  this  means  the  body  remains  comparatively  still  during  the 
backward  swing,  thus  adding  impetus  to  the  flight  of  the  ball. 
If  the  weight  of  the  body  be  thrown  mostly  on  the  left  leg  when 
addressing  the  ball,  during  the  backward  swing,  it  has  to  be 
transferred  to  the  right  and  back  again  with  the  downward 
stroke,  thereby  making,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  aim  less  steady. 

“The  position  of  the  ball  is  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the  centre 
of  the  two  feet. 

“At  the  top  of  the  swing  my  club  is  as  nearly  horizontal  as  pos- 


1 14  Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 

sible.  I grasp  as  firmly  as  possible  with  both  hands  throughout 
the  swing  for  every  shot.  I am  aware  that  the  general  belief  is 
contrary  to  this,  especially  in  the  driving,  but  the  fact  remains 
that  I find  it  very  satisfactory,  and  there  are  many  good  players 
who,  I know,  are  with  me  on  this  point.  If  the  right  hand  be 
held  loosely  for  the  previous  part  of  the  swing,  it  surely  must 
have  a firm  grip  of  the  club  when  it  strikes  the  ball. 

“In  gripping  my  club  the  left  hand  is  partly  hidden,  the  first 
finger  and  thumb  being  firmly  locked  in  the  right  hand.  The 
thumb  of  the  left  hand  is  kept  along  the  shaft,  not  round  it,  and 
the  little  finger  of  the  right  hand  rides  the  forefinger  of  the  left. 
In  this  matter,  so  far  as  I know,  I stand  alone,  nor  do  I venture 
to  advise  beginners  or,  in  fact,  any  one  else  to  copy  it. 

“As  to  pressure  being  put  in  the  down  stroke,  pressure  should 
be  used  throughout.  I fail  to  see  how  one  could  come  gently  to 
within  one  foot  and  a half  of  the  ball  and  at  the  last  moment  put 
in  the  necessary  strength.  Immediately  at  the  descent  of  the 
club  pressure  should  be  put  on,  adding  to  its  velocity  until  it 
comes  in  contact  with  the  ball.  The  result  in  this  case  should 
neither  be  so  strained  nor  likely  to  render  the  aim  ineffective, 
as  if  it  were  made  just  when  the  club  is  nearing  the  ball. 

“A  very  simple  method  of  finding  out  whether  your  club  is  in 
its  proper  position  at  the  top  of  the  swing,  and  that  the  left  wrist 
is  down,  is  to  glance  over  your  left  shoulder  and  look  at  the 
club  head.  If  the  name  is  facing  you,  your  left  wrist  is  wrong, 
and  when  the  club  head  strikes  the  ball  it  will  be  at  an  angle  and 
the  result  a 'pulled’  ball.  If  the  left  wrist  is  down,  as  it  ought 
to  be,  the  face  of  the  club  will  be  facing  you  and  not  the  name/' 

APPROACHING. 

An  approach  shot  may  be  any  shot  not  a full  one  intended  to 
find  the  bah  on  the  green,  and  is  generally  an  iron  shot.  The 
great  failing  of  most  approach  shots  is  that  they  fall  too  short. 
For  every  six  shots  played,  five  out  of  the  six  are  not  up ; there- 
fore, in  selecting  your  club,  when  in  doubt  select  the  longer  driv- 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library.  115 

in g one,  as  no  accident  is  likely  to  increase  the  distance  of  your 
drive,  and  there  are  many  to  curtail  it. 

Always  run  a ball  in  preference  to  pitching  it,  unless  there  is 
some  special  reason  which  necessitates  pitching. 

APPROACH  SHOTS. 

Approach  shots  differ  from  one  another: 

(a)  In  point  of  distance. 

( b ) In  point  of  elevation. 

(c)  In  point  of  style. 

And  include : 

(a)  1.  Three-quarter  shots;  2.  Half  shots;  3.  Stiff  arm  ap- 

proach shots. 

(&)  1.  Running  the  ball  up  along  the  ground.  2.  Lofting  the 

ball  with  run;  3.  Lofting  so  as  to  pitch  dead. 

( c ) Includes  (1)  ball  played  with  a straightforward  stroke 
(club  head  moving  in  the  lim*  of  flight  of  ball). 

THE  THREE-QUARTER  STROKE. 

The  necessity  for  this  stroke  has  almost  entirely  disappeared, 
owing  to  the  fact  that  irons  have  been  made  with  almost  every 
kind  of  a pitch,  and  a man  can  now  select  a club  and  make  a full 
swing  with  it  and  achieve  the  same  results  as  would  have  been 
obtained  by  using  one  of  the  old  spoons  or  irons  which  were 
all  formerly  made  with  a recognized  amount  of  loft  on  each. 
It  is  so  much  easier  to  make  a full  swing  than  a three-quarter 
one  that  it  is  always  better  to  use  a shorter  carrying  club  when 
the  distance  to  the  green  requires  a three-quarter  stroke,  if  one 
of  the  long  driving  clubs  is  to  be  used. 

HALF  SHOTS. 

The  position  of  the  ball  and  stance  for  playing  half  shots  is 
somewhat,  though  not  materially,  different  from  that  in  Fig. 
:.  The  ball  is  nearer  the  player’s  body,  and  nearer  also  to 


n6  Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 

the  line  of  the  right  foot.  The  right  foot  is  also  further  ad- 
vanced. Fig.  4 shows  the  top  of  the  swing.  It  need  hardly  be 
pointed  out  that  as  the  club  is  not  swung  far  around,  the  shoul- 
ders and  the  body  do  not  move  as  much  as  in  playing  a full 
stroke.  The  shoulders  must  move  round  and  the  body  must  be 
easier.  The  left  foot  will  be  just  raised  off  the  heel  and  noth- 
ing more,  the  left  leg  flexed  to  ease  the  swing.  It  may,  in  fact, 
be  said  that  the  feet  should  not,  if  possible,  be  moved  at  all. 

The  elbow  of  the  right  arm  should  be  kept  in  to  the  body,  and 
not  allowed  to  rise,  but  all  the  same  the  arms  will  be  thrown  out 
just  as  in  playing  full  strokes.  The  follow-through  will  take 
place  at  the  end  of  the  swing,  but  instead  of  throwing  the  club 
and  arms  after  the  ball,  they  will  rise  quicker,  and  continue  up- 
wards over  the  left  shoulder  more  than  in  the  direction  of  the 
flight  of  the  ball. 

STIFF  ARM  APPROACH  SHOTS. 

Of  stiff  arm  approach  strokes  there  is  an  infinite  variety  of 
gradation — anything  less  than  a half  stroke  falls  under  this  defini- 
tion. No  further  remarks  on  this  subject  require  to  be  made, 
save  that  the  ball  should  be  nearer  the  player,  and  the  feet  closer 
together.  Fig.  5 shows  the  position  of  the  feet  as  the  player  ad- 
dresses the  ball;  Fig.  6 shows  the  top  of  the  swing.  It  will  be 
observed  that  both  legs  are  slightly  more  bent  at  the  knees  than 
is  the  case  in  playing  a full  shot,  and  that  the  body  moves  very 
little.  I would  only  add : Stand  firmly,  and  do  not  move  the  feet 
at  all;  keep  the  right  elbow  well  into  the  side,  and  play  from 
stiff  wrists,  giving  the  ball  a quick,  sharp  hit. 

In  all  these  strokes  the  club  must  be  held  firmly  with  both 
hands,  to  give  more  command  over  it  and  to  prevent  its  turning. 
It  will  be  found  of  material  assistance  if  the  club  is  grasped 
further  down  the  shaft ; and  the  shorter  the  distance  of  the  stroke 
to  be  played,  the  shorter  a grip  of  the  club  may  be  taken. 

In  standing  according  to  the  directions  above  given,  it  will 
be  found  that  while  the  weight  of  the  body  is  supported  on  both 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library.  117 

legs,  the  right  really  gives  the  greater  amount  of  support.  This 
can  be  easily  tested  by  trying  to  lift  either  foot  off  the  ground. 
For  the  above  reason,  this  mode  of  playing  approaches  has  been 
termed  “off  the  right  leg,”  and  it  is  the  method  most  usually 
adopted. 


PUTTING. 

Putting  can  be  divided  into  two  heads : 

1.  Approach  putting. 

2.  Putting  out,  or  holing  the  ball. 

The  greatest  stress  must  be  laid  on  the  fact  that  you  must 
keep  your  eye  on  the  ball  and  don’t  glance  at  the  hole  just  as  you 
putt.  Play  your  stroke  “off  the  right  leg,”  the  ball  just  in 
front  of  your  right  foot,  which  is  a little  forward.  Hold  the 
putter  with  equal  grip  of  both  hands,  and  remember  that  the 
head  of  your  club  must  follow  your  ball  in  a straight  line  to  the 
hole. 

There  are  four  golden  axioms  which  should  always  be  ob- 
served : 

1.  Never  take  your  eye  off  the  ball. 

2.  Do  not  aim  too  long. 

3.  Be  up,  for  you  can  never  hole  out  unless  you  go  as  far  as 
the  hole. 

4.  Treat  the  course  as  if  you  loved  it — replace  divots. 


n8 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library. 


CHAMPIONSHIP  RECORDS  OF  JAMES  BRAID  AND 
HARRY  VARDON. 

James  Braid’s  Record. 

1901 — British  open  championship,  at  Mirirfield. 

1905 —  British  open  championship,  at  St.  Andrews. 

1906 —  British  open  championship,  at  Muirheld. 

1908 — British  open  championship,  at  Prestwick. 

1910 —  British  open  championship,  at  St.  Andrews. 

Harry  Vardon’ s Record. 

1896 — British  open  championship,  at  Muirfield. 

1898 —  -British  open  championship,  at  Prestwick. 

1899 —  British  open  championship,  at  Sandwich. 

1900 —  United  States  open  championship,  at  Wheaton,  111. 

1903 — British  open  championship,  at  Prestwick. 

1911 —  British  open  championship,  at  Sandwich. 

1914 — British  open  championship,  at  Prestwick. 

In  the  1896  British  open  championship  Vardon  tied  with  J.  H. 
Taylor,  the  winner  in  1894  and  1895;  they  played  two  extra 
deciding  rounds,  when  the  scores  were:  Vardon,  157;  Taylor, 
161.  In  the  1911  contest  Vardon  was  again  successful  after  a 
tie,  defeating  the  French  player,  A.  Massy.  His  third  experience 
in  a championship  tie  was  in  the  American  1913  open  champion- 
ship, with  Edward  Ray,  the  British  open  champion  of  1912, 
and  Francis  Ouimet  of  America,  when  the  latter  defeated  the 
two  British  players. 


FIG.  1.  ADDRESSING  THE  BALL.  HARRY  VARDON. 


FIG.  2.  FINISH  OF  SWING.  HARRY  VARDON. 


FIG.  3.  STANCE  FOR  THREE-QUARTER  STROKE. 
HARRY  VARDON. 


FIG.  4.  HALF-SHOT,  TOP  OF  SWING. 
HARRY  VARDON. 


FIG.  5.  STIFF  ARM  APPROACH,  THE  ADDRESS. 
HARRY  VARDON. 


FIG.  6.  STIFF  ARM  APPROACH,  CLUB  AT  TOP  OF  SWING. 
HARRY  VARDON. 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 


127 


GOLF  FOR  WOMEN 

By  Gladys  Ravenscroft. 

[Miss  Ravenscroft  was  the  winner  in  the  Women’s  Championship  of  the 
United  States  in  1914.  In  1912  she  won  the  Ladies’  Open  Championship  of 
Great  Britain  and  was  runner-up  in  1914.  This  is  Miss  Ravenscroft’s  first 
contribution  to  golf  literature.  No  lady  player  in  England  is  held  in  greater 
esteem.] 

There  is  no  doubt  that  golf  is  an  ideal  game  for  women,  as  it 
can  be  enjoyed  from  childhood  until  almost  any  age. 

If  you  begin  when  very  young  lessons  are  not  the  necessity 
they  are  if  you  begin  later  in  life.  Children,  seem  to  fall  into  a 
natural  swing  with  ease,  which,  later  in  life,  is  not  so  easy  to 
acquire. 

So  begin,  if  possible,  with  a few  lessons  from  a good  profes- 
sional and  so  save  yourself  a lot  of  hard  work  later  on.  I 
did  not,  and  have  never,  acquired  the  correct  grip  to  this  day. 

Playing  one  day  with  Edward  Ray  he  said  he  didn't  know 
how  I hit  the  ball  at  all,  as  when  my  club  was  at  the  top  of 
the  swing  it  was  facing  upward  instead  of  downward. 

From  this  you  will  see  that  “While  there's  life  there’s  hope” 
So  don't  be  despondent  if  you  haven't  quite  the  orthodox  grip. 

It  is  a mistaken  idea  that  a long  backswing  ensures  a long  ball. 
iYou  are  so  apt  to  lose  control  of  the  club  if  it  goes  too  far  back, 
so  that  when  it  reaches  the  ball  it  is  out  of  hand,  so  to  speak, 
and  the  result  is  a mis-hit  shot 

This  applies  even  more  to  iron  play  and  is  the  reason,  I think, 
that  the  majority  of  women  play  their  irons  badly.  They  swing 
the  club  almost  like  a driver  instead  of  making  the  shot  more  of 
^ hit,  using  the  wrists  more  and  the  arms  less.  Countless  players 


MISS  GLADYS  RAVENSCROFT 
Typical  English  Custom— Addressing  tlie  ball 


Spalding’ s Athletic  Library . 129 

will  use  a baffy  or  spoon  and  play  a half  shot  rather  than  use 
their  iron,  in  which  they  have  no  confidence. 

If  you  have  confidence  in  yourself  you  won’t  find  golf 
the  drudgery  many  do.  Try  to  like  all  your  clubs.  If  you  don’t, 
buy  others. 

How  often  do  you  hear  players  saying,  “I  knew  I should 
miss  that  shot;  I always  hated  that  club.”  How  can  you  expect 
to  hit  the  ball  if  you  go  up  to  it  thinking  you  are  going  to  miss 
the  shot? 

The  rubber-cored  ball  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  'making 
the  game  as  popular  with  women  as  it  is.  Up  to  the  time  of 
its  introduction  comparatively  few  women  played,  as  the  old 
“gutty”  ball  required  hard  hitting,  and  often  a broken  club  was 
the  result.  Also,  unless  you  were  very  keen,  there  were  a great 
many  difficulties  to  overcome.  Golf  courses  were  few  and  far 
between  and  numeous  restrictions  placed  on  the  play  of  women. 
Even  now,  on  some  of  our  big  courses,  women  are  made  any- 
thing but  welcome  and  not  allowed  in  the  club  houses,  but  as 
time  goes  on,  no  doubt  these  clubs  will  fall  into  line  as  the 
others  have  done. 

Nearly  every  course  has  been  altered  since  the  introduction  of 
the  rubber-cored  ball,  and  now  nearly  all  our  courses  are  well 
over  6,000  yards,  some  measuring  6,700. 

It  seems  to  be  the  impression  in  America  that  we  in  England 
all  start  to  play  golf  when  we  are  children.  In  Scotland  per- 
haps this  is  the  case,  where  golf  courses  abound,  and  they  even 
have  children’s  courses;  but,  in  England,  I think  most  girls  play 
the  usual  games  while  at  school.  They  do  not  take  up  golf  until 
they  leave  school;  but,  having  once  taken  it  up  seriously,  do 
little  in  other  games. 


MISS  GLADYS  RAVENSCROFT 
“The  Drive" 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library.  131 

Don’t  get  discouraged  if  after  a brilliant  start  you  have  a set- 
back. These  will  be  frequent  at  first,  but  after  each  relapse 
there  will  be  an  improvement;  so  persevere. 

A grcit  deal  too  much  attention  is  paid  to  long  driving.  This 
is  certainly  the  most  satisfactory  part  of  the  game,  and  the 
easiest  in  which  to  obtain  confidence,  but  it  is  often  studied  to 
the  neglect  of  other  important  features. 

Above  all,  do  not  forget  the  short  game.  It  is  on  and  near 
the  green  that  matches  are  won. 

Miss  Dodd,  who  weighs  only  119  pounds,  is  an  example  of  what 
a frail  player  can  do.  Her  long  game  is  not  of  exceptional 
strength,  but  her  short  game,  being  almost  perfect,  it  has  en- 
abled her  to  gain  the  great  success  she  has  enjoyed  against 
her  physically  stronger  opponents. 

A great  deal  of  discussion  has  arisen  from  the  matches  that 
have  from  time  to  time  taken  place  between  the  sexes.  The 
men  conceding  9 strokes  have  almost  always  been  victorious. 
This  seems  to  prove  that  a scratch  woman  can  never  play  level 
with  a scratch  man. 

A good  player  knows  her  shots  and  plays  them  accurately, 
but  when  the  pinch  comes  doesn’t  seem  able  to  produce  her  best 
form  in  a match  of  this  kind,  the  strain  being  too  great. 

To  see  women  producing  their  best  form  is  to  see  them  pitted 
against  each  other  in  a championship  struggle.  There  you  will 
see  real  sportsmanship  quite  equal  to  that  of  many  men.  That 
women  are  not  “good  sports”  is  surely  a mistaken  idea. 


MISS  CECIL  LEITCH 
Top  of  Full  Swing  with  Wooden  Club 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library . i 

PLAY  WITH  THE  WOODEN  CLUBS 

By  Miss  Cecil  Leitch, 

British  Lady  Champion. 

Driving  is  the  most  delightful  part  of  golf.  The  game  offers 
no  greater  joy  than  that  of  a sweetly  hit  tee  shot.  Therefore 
it  is  specially  important  to  learn  to  drive  aright. 

The  drive  has  many  constituent  parts.  Let  us  take  them 
one  by  one. 

Many  players  make  the  initial  mistake  of  gripping  their 
club  first  and  addressing  the  ball  after.  The  effect  of  this 
often  is  that  the  face  of  the  club  is  turned  over  and  does  not 
meet  the  ball  truly,  the  club  digging  into  the  ground  and  re- 
sulting in  a poor  and  frequently  topped  drive.  The  right  way 
is  to  let  the  club  address  the  ball  first  and  then  grip  it  after- 
wards. And  in  doing  this,  in  letting  the  club-head  rest  natu- 
rally on  the  ground,  the  player  has  an  infallible  guide  as  to 
how  far  she  shall  stand  away  from  the  ball.  She  must  not, 
of  course,  raise  or  drop  her  hands  in  order  to  get  the  set  of 
the  club  right. 

Generally  speaking,  the  right  way  to  hold  the  hands  and 
arms  is  the  most  comfortable  way.  A player  should  never 
feel  cramped. 

Now  for  the  swing.  In  the  back  swing  the  head  of  the  club 
must  be  the  first  thing  to  go  back.  So  many  beginners  take 
the  hands  back  first,  dragging  the  club-head  after  them.  This 
is  a fatal  mistake  and  an  absolute  bar  to  successful  driving. 

Then  beginners  are  apt  to  make  the  mistake  of  overswinging 
and  of  going  back  too  quickly.  I strongly  recommend  begin- 
b 

Reprinted  from  Miss  Leitch’s  book,  “Golf  for  Girls,”  in  the  Spalding 
Athletic  Library  series. 


134  Spalding's  Athletic  Library. 

ners  to  swing  back  quite  slowly  and  to  be  content  with  some- 
thing less  than  a full  swing.  The  shorter  the  swing  the  greater 
the  control  over  club  and  ball,  although  there  may  be  some 
slight  sacrifice  of  distance. 

For  those  who  feel  equal  to  using  a full  swing  I advise  them 
to  limit  it  to  the  horizontal,  as  shown  in  illustration.  At  the 
top  of  the  swing  the  toe  of  the  club  should  be  pointing  to  the 
ground.  At  no  time  during  the  back  swing  should  the  grip  of 
the  hands  be  relaxed,  otherwise  the  face  of  the  club  will  not 
meet  the  ball  at  the  same  angle  at  which  it  left  it.  It  is  im- 
portant to  remember  that  wooden  clubs  should  not  be  gripped 
as  tightly  as  irons. 

With  many  girls  the  downward  swing  is  almost  as  slow  as 
the  up  swing.  No  one  will  ever  get  any  length  that  way.  You 
must  swing  forward  as  fast  as  you  can,  the  faster  the  better, 
putting  on  an  extra  spurt  when  the  club  is  about  eighteen 
inches  from  the  ball.  The  length  of  the  drive  largely  depends 
on  the  pace  at  which  the  club  is  moving  when  it  meets  the 
ball.  A common  fault  with  girls  is  that  they  use  up  their  best 
energy  at  the  beginning  of  the  downward  swing  with  the  result 
that  the  club  is  beginning  to  slow  up  by  the  time  it  hits  the 
ball. 

For  the  whole  of  the  back  swing  the  left  arm  should  be  kept 
perfectly  straight,  while  until  the  very  finish  of  the  drive 
neither  elbow  should  be  cocked. 

A most  important  thing  to  remember  and  practise  is  that 
at  the  top  of  the  swing  the  point  of  the  left  shoulder  should 
be  in  line  with  the  ball  and  the  left  eye. 

With  regard  to  the  feet  and  knees  and  their  various  move- 
ments much  may  be  learned  from  photographs  of  the  full 
drive.  At  the  address  both  feet  are  firmly  planted  on  the 
ground  with  the  weight  of  the  body  equally  distributed  and 


Spalding's  Athletic  Library.  135 

rather  more  on  the  heels  than  the  toes.  Directly  the  back 
swing  begins  the  weight  is  gradually  transferred  from  the 
left  to  the  right  foot,  and  back  again  from  right  to  left  during 
the  downward  swing.  At  the  finish  of  a correct  drive  prac- 
tically all  the  weight  is  on  the  left  foot. 

The  commonest  of  faults  with  girls  is  that  they  rise  right 
up  on  the  point  of  the  left  toe  at  the  top  of  the  swing  instead 
of  being  on  the  inner  side  of  the  foot  with  heel  slightly  raised. 
They  would  never  commit  this  fault  if  they  kept  the  head 
immovable  in  the  position  it  occupied  when  the  ball  was  being 
addressed. 

Keeping  the  head  steady  is  one  of  the  fundamentals  of  ac- 
curacy, and  its  importance  cannot  be  over-emphasized.  The 
players  who  were  Miss  May  Hezlet  and  Miss  Florence  Hezlet 
before  their  marriages  are  two  of  the  best  examples  of  the 
immovable  head.  I have  never  seen  players  who  kept  their 
heads  so  absolutely  still  from  start  to  finish  of  the  stroke. 

One  cause  of  moving  the  head  from  its  proper  position  is 
that  players  hold  themselves  so  stiff  and  do  not  swing  from 
the  waist.  In  the  correct  swing  the  waist  is  the  pivot  on 
which  the  rest  of  the  body  turns.  Loss  of  distance  is  another 
inevitable  result  of  not  swinging  from  the  waist. 

In  his  advice  to  ladies,  James  Braid  says  they  should  hold 
themselves  loosely  on  the  tee.  Men  with  very  short,  stiff 
swings  often  hit  a long  ball.  This  is  because  they  are  strong 
and  muscular.  But  girls  are  not  strong  like  that,  and  must 
rely  on  a loose  and  easy  swing  and  a full  follow-through  for 
a long  ball.  It  is  no  good  girls  imagining  that  they  will  ever 
compete  with  men  for  length.  The  best  of  them  will  compare 
favorably  with  an  average  man,  but  they  will  be  hopelessly 
out-distanced  by  the  really  bigger  hitters  among  the  men. 
Weight  and  strength  and  size  make  all  the  difference. 


136  Spalding’s  Athletic  Library . 

I do  not  think  a player  who  keeps  her  arms  too  close  to 
her  body  will  ever  hit  a long  ball.  So  keep  your  arms  stretched 
well  out  in  front  of  you. 

As  to  the  follow-through,  so  many  players  try  to  force  this. 
If  the  rest  of  the  stroke  is  right  the  follow-through  should 
come  naturally.  Mr.  Hilton  has  the  most  wonderful  follow- 
through  I have  ever  seen.  Every  part  of  him  seems  to  follow 
after  the  ball,  in  pursuit  of  it,  not  only  club,  but  arms,  shoulders 
and  head.  He  seems  almost  to  hurl  all  these  after  the  ball  as 
though  to  urge  it  still  further  on  its  way.  And  there  is  no 
doubt  that  this  has  much  to  do  with  Mr.  Hilton's  length  and 
power  with  his  wooden  clubs.  Some  may  ask  how  the  follow- 
through  can  possibly  assist  a ball  which  has  been  already  hit. 
The  answer  to  this  is  that  the  ball  will  not  be  properly  hit 
unless  there  is  a follow-through.  A correct  follow-through 
implies  that  the  preceding  part  of  the  swing  was  also  correct. 

If  the  timing  is  wrong  the  driver  shall  drive  in  vain.  In  a 
large  percentage  of  cases,  players  off  their  drive  are  in  this 
unhappy  state  because  they  are  timing  wrong. 

One  secret  of  correct  timing  is  that  the  heel  of  the  left  foot 
should  come  to  the  ground  at  the  very  moment  that  the  club 
meets  the  ball.  The  two  things  should  be  simultaneous.  Let 
players  prove  this  for  themselves. 

A common  cause  of  wrong  timing  is  that  players  get  the 
hands  and  club  to  the  ball  and  leave  the  body  behind.  The 
three  things  must  work  together.  For  girls,  correct  timing  is 
all-important.  Among  players,  a good  distance  of  correct 
timing  is  Miss  B.  Thompson,  champion  in  1905.  This  player 
hits  as  sweet  and  clean  a tee  shot  as  one  could  wish  to  see, 
not  by  muscular  effort — because  she  is  a slightly  built  player, 
but  by  the  simultaneous  application  of  all  her  forces  to  the 
ball;  in  other  words,  to  perfect  timing. 


Spalding’s  Athletic  Library.  13? 

In  order  to  avoid  confusion  I have  not  said  anything  about 
there  being  two  different  kinds  of  swing.  But  I must  do  so 
now.  There  are  two  kinds  of  swing — “flat”  and  “upright.” 

Personally,  I use  the  flat  swing.  I use  it  for  all  wooden 
clubs,  save  in  exceptional  cases.  For  example,  if  there  is  any- 
thing close  in  front  to  be  lofted  I use  the  upright  swing,  a 
swing  which  gets  the  ball  more  up  into  the  air.  For  the 
second  shot  at  the  second  hole  at  Portrush,  provided  the  drive 
was  a good  one,  I should  frequently  use  the  upright  swing,  to 
clear  the  bunker  and  ridge  just  ahead. 

For  the  flat  swing  the  club  is  taken  back  round  the  shoulders 
and  not  round  the  neck  as  in  the  upright  swing.  The  flat 
swing  sweeps  the  ball  off  the  tee  more  cleanly  than  the  up- 
right, gives  it  a low  trajectory,  puts  top  spin  on  it,  and  so 
secures  a long  run.  The  flat  swing  does  not,  perhaps,  get  so 
much  carry  as  the  upright  swing,  but  it  certainly  gets  more 
run.  For  the  flat  swing,  the  club  when  taken  back  brushes 
the  ground  for  some  eighteen  inches,  and  does  not  leave  the 
ground  at  once,  as  in  the  case  of  the  upright  swing. 

Most  girls  use  the  upright  swing.  It  comes  more  naturally 
to  them. 

Mfss  Ravenscroft  is  a good  example  of  this  swing. 

Driver,  brassie,  and  spoon  are  the  three  wooden  clubs  I use, 
and  I use  them  all  alike,  so  what  is  true  for  the  driver  is  true 
also  for  brassie  and  spoon. 

As  a last  piece  of  advice,  let  the  player  acquire  a style  so 
natural  and  easy  that  at  a distance  a spectator  would  not  know 
whether  she  was  swinging  at  a daisy  or  a ball. 


138 


Spalding’s  Boxing  Guide. 


Standardization  of  the  Golf  Ball 

We  believe  that  an  explanation  of  the  term  “standardization”  is 
due  the  golfing  public.  The  golf  ball  has  not  been  standardized  in 
the  strictest  sense  of  that  term,  but  a limitation  in  weight  and  size 
has  been  decided  upon  by  the  delegates  representing  the  United 
States  Golf  Association  and  the  Royal  and  Ancient  in  Britain. 

It  is  a two-fold  limitation — a maximum  of  weight  and  a minimum 
of  size.  For  tournament  golf  after  May  1,  1921,  the  ball  must  not 
exceed  1.62  ounce  in  weight  nor  measure  less  than  1.62  inch  in 
diameter.  Avoirdupois  is  the  system  of  weights  used,  and  to  be 
exact,  the  1.62  ounce  in  connection  with  the  weight  limitation  is 
really  29  1-2  pennyweights,  not  30,  as  is  the  general  belief.  There 
are,  approximately  speaking,  Sl/2  hundredths  of  an  ounce  to  a 
pennyweight,  though  the  hundredths-of-ounces  method  of  weighing 
is  more  accurate  and  descriptive  and  the  one  that  we  as  manufac- 
turers have  always  employed,  and,  it  will  be  noted,  has  been  officially 
adopted  by  the  respective  associations. 

It  is  our  opinion  that  the  destinies  of  the  game  of  golf  are  in  safe 
custody  with  the  governing  bodies  of  the  United  States  and  Britain, 
and  it  is  of  manifest  importance  that  the  manufacturers  follow  their 
dictates.  It  is  our  purpose  to  confine  ourselves  to  the  manufacture 
of  golf  balls  which  will  conform  to  the  above  limitations.  Any  other 
course  of  action  would  be  inimical  to  the  best  interests  of  the  game. 

It  must  be  observed  that  the  new  ruling  permits  of  balls  of  larger 
size  and  lighter  weight  being  used,  but  does  not  interfere  with  the 
methods  of  construction  or  the  characteristics  of  the  different  golf 
ball  manufacturers.  Individuality  will  still  have  free  scope  within 
the  aforementioned  limits.  Golfers  will  retain  the  freedom  of  choice 
in  the  matter  of  the  selection  of  a ball  to  suit  their  game,  and  we 
shall  therefore,  as  in  former  years,  manufacture  a variety  to  meet 
these  demands. 

We  cannot  agree,  however,  with  some  remarks  that  have  been 
made  in  the  press,  particularly  in  Britain,  that  the  manufacturers 
will  cease  competing  with  one  another  for  additional  distance,  even 
under  this  limitation.  On  the  final  analysis  the  makers  of  golf  balls 
must  be  influenced  by  the  man  who  buys  the  ball,  and  in  our  judg- 
ment competition  undoubtedly  will  continue,  even  in  this  field, 
though  be  it  said  in  our  judgment  also,  with  no  resulting  danger  to 
the  game.  It  is  our  emphatic  intention  to  maintain  the  advantage 
„ in  this  field  that  we  have  always  possessed. 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  an  ever-increasing  desire  on  the  part 
of  all  golfers  that  the  ball  shall  be  made  of  a more  durable  char- 
acter. This  firm  is  carrying  on  continual  and  exhaustive  experimen- 
tation along  these  lines*  and  we  believe  with  some  success. 


139 


Spalding’s  Boxing  Guide. 

The  numbers  30,  40  and  50  which  we  use  in  connection  with  our 
leading  golf  balls  constitute  a method  of  nomenclature  and  do  not 
stand  for  weight  or  size.  The  following  specifications,  if  studied, 
should  act  as  a valuable  aid  in  the  selection  of  a ball  best  suited  to 
one’s  game. 

FIFTY  GOLF  BALL. 

The  Fifty  requires  no  introduction  to  the  golfers  of  either  this 
Continent  or  Britain.  During  the  season  of  1920  it  won,  practically 
speaking,  every  major  tournament  of  importance  throughout  the 
world.  For  the  season  of  1921  it  will  carry  a new  and  improved 
marking,  thus  eliminating  any  possible  confusion  between  it  and  the 
Fifty  of  the  preceding  year,  which  becomes  illegal  after  May  1 for 
use  in  tournament  play.  It  is  the  most  high-powered  ball  that  is 
permitted  under  the  new  standardization,  or  limitation,  of  the  ball, 
and  a very  long  carry  indeed  may  be  secured  from  it.  We  have 
endeavored  to  suppress  its  roll  as  far  as  possible,  as  in  the  past, 
and  hence  it  will  be  found  controllable  for  the  fine  work  around 
the  green.  Its  weight  is  1.62  ounce  or  29J/2  pennyweights,  and  its 
sifce  is  1.630  inch. 

FORTY  GOLF  BALL. 

The  Forty  is  in  all  respects  like  the  Fifty  as  regards  its  internal 
construction.  It  is  also  a high-powered  ball  built  for  carries,  and 
its  chief  difference  from  the  Fifty  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is  some- 
what larger — in  fact,  a medium  size  ball — and  is  marketed  by  us 
for  this  reason. 


THIRTY  GOLF  BALL. 

The  Thirty  in  appearance  will  be  precisely  like  our  Thirty  of  a 
year  ago.  Our  Thirty  also  as  regards  weight  will  approach  the 
limit  allowed  under  standardization,  but  its  internal  construction  is 
of  such  a nature  as  to  make  it  possible  to  secure  great  durability 
from  it.  In  fact,  it  is  the  durable  ball  of  our  line,  and  though  there 
may  not  be  quite  as  much  carry  in  it  as  the  Forty  and  Fifty,  yet 
this  to  a certain  extent  will  be  made  up  by  an  increased  run.  A 
very  sweet  feeling  ball,  and  one  that  is  comparatively  more  respon- 
sive to  lighter  blows  than  either  the  Forty  or  the  Fifty. 

The  other  golf  balls  of  Spalding  manufacture — Baby  Dimple. 
Glory  Dimple,  Black  Domino  and  Red  Dot  mesh — have  been  so 
long  before  the  American  public  that  they  require  no  further  detailed 
information. 


"The  Yoke  that 
Never  Binds” 


SPALDING 

SPORT 

SPECIALTY 

SHOPS 

See  list  on 
inside  front 
cover  of  this 
section. 


is  why  HARRY 
VARDON  described 
the  "FILMER” 
Jacket  as  the  best 
he  had  ever  worn 
for  Golfing. 

London  made,  of 
British  Tweeds  and 
Homespuns. 

With  Trousers  or 
Knickerbockers . 


Sweaters 

Shirts 

Neckwear 

Hosiery 

Shoes 


